My Class Trip Crush
by YukimaraMegumi
Summary: Fairy Tail Shonen High and Girls' High has a joint school trip! Lucy Heartfilia, together with her besties, Levy and Erza, are assigned to be in the same group with 5 boys. Not to mention, they are such heartthrobs! And one of them is a celebrity. Can Lucy really stop herself from falling in love with these hot guys? Rated T for safety.
1. Prologue

_**Before beginning the story, I would like to declare something. This storyline does not belong to me, all rights go to : My Class Trip Crush. Also the characters in this story are a bit... Um... OOC? Is that what they are called? I dunno. They are kinda out of character to fit with with storyline. Sumimasen for the wait and enjoy reading it! *bows***_

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: Um... I have a request... Could you guys go to my profile and vote for your favourite character after reading this chapter? I would really appreciate it if you could do it. Arigato! If you have trouble voting... Then you could PM me personally or leave the name of the character (in this story) in the review box below. Arigato and enjoy! **_

* * *

**~PROLOGUE~ *Day 1 – Tokyo-Kyoto**

"Hey, what's the deal?" Levy had a troubled look on her face, "What are guys from Fairy Tail Shonen High doing here? Isn't that an all-boys' school?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd gone to the wrong place. I was totally freaking out." I replied.

"I guess Fairy Tail Shonen High's here on a school trip too." Erza joined in the conversation.

It's school trip day. Our meet-up spot is packed with crowds of guys. Coming from an all-girls' school, I've never seen so many boys in one place before.

**SMACK!**

"Eeek!" I let out a surprised squeak. Something just smacked right into my back…

"You okay there, Lu-chan?" Levy asked, both Erza and her eyes filled with worry, "There's a soccer ball imprint on your back!"

A tall boy with dark blue hair runs over to pick up the ball. "Hey, you!" Erza pointed at the boy and shouted in a stern voice.

"… Huh? Sorry, I'm in a hurry!" And with that, he runs off again.

"God, talk about super rude. Soccer players are such jerks!" Erza declared.

"But he looked totally hot!" Levy added with a squeal, she clasped her hands together.

Then, a boy with a red tattoo on his eye and blue hair comes running up to us incredibly fast.

… _What now? _I mentally groaned.

"Sorry! He didn't notice at all…" He apologized, "that ball just hit you, right?"

"Y-yeah." I just meekly replied.

"I'm really sorry about that." The boy apologized again.

"Yeah, well maybe the guy who hit her should apologize," Erza spoke up, clearly stating that she is still unsatisfied that the boy who hit me just ran off without an apology, "I don't think Lucy should accept anything less."

The boy with the tattoo looked down on the ground, " You're right… Okay, I'll bring Gray by later, I swear!" I started to feel sorry for the latter,

"Hey, you don't have to…" The boy bows his head and runs off smoothly.

.

.

"Wow, that was totally smooth! I wish I'd been hit with a ball!" Levy squealed again.

"Oh, come on, Levy-chan…!" I whined.

**-Byoop-**

Some old guy I don't know steps up with a microphone. "Ahem, good morning everybody. My name is Makarov. I'm the principal of Fairy Tail Shonen High." A wave of murmur runs through the crowd. Just then, Levy-chan patted me on the shoulder,

"Check it out, our principal's standing next to him."

"Shh! Listen!" Erza, as serious as always, cut Levy-chan off.

"I have some news for you all," our principal, Poluchka-san, spoke through the microphone, "Fairy Tail Shonen High and Fairy Tail Girls' High sit next door to each other and both schools are run by their own independent school administrations. But starting with this year's school trip, we have decided…" There was a slight suspense hanging in the air,

"That all school function will be run jointly."

.

.

.

**-Fwoosh-**

.

.

.

After a moment of dead silence…

.

.

.

"BWHAAAAA?!" A crowd all erupts at once. "Are you for real?! We're going with Fairy Tail Girls' High?! Holy crap, this rules!" A salmon hair boy gives a fistpump.

_Oh God, now it's a joint school trip with an all-boys' school?! Are they nuts?! _

"Okay, okay. Quiet down!" Poluchka-san's voice boomed through the area, "I hope you'll all mingle together and give each other a helping hand. Now it's time to announce the teachers in charge of each student group. For Fairy Tail Shonen High,

Year 2, class A, group A, and…

Fairy Tail Girls' High, year 2, class A, group A…" _That's our group! _"Mr. Alzack Connell."

_I don't recognize the name… Is that a Fairy Tail Shonen High teacher?! _A very tall man waved a hand in the air.

"Alzack Connell here!" _He acts more like a big brother than a teacher… _

"Ooooh! That's our group's teacher?! He's hot!" Levy-chan seems to be having a whale of a time squealing.

"Y-yeah. He's a Fairy Tail Shonen High teacher, I guess. Kinda makes me nervous…" I confessed.

"Hold on, Levy! Oh, for… She's making a beeline for him." Erza let out a depressed sigh, "Want to join her, Lucy?" There was anxiety running through my entire body. _It won't hurt giving a try, right?_

"Sure"

"Mr Connell, we're class A, group A, it's nice to meet you!" Levy-chan introduces in our place, since she being the first to arrive there.

"Oh, okay. I've got three names on my list here. Which one of you is Levy McGarden…?"

"Me! You can call me Levy instead." Levy-chan's practically bouncing in her shoes. Erza stands next to her, looking calm.

"This is Lucy, and I'm Erza." _Erza's always got it together. _

"You're a pretty cute group!" _Whoa, it's that guy who was pumping his fist. He's in our group? Kinda seems like a goof… _I mentally sighed.

"Natsu, where are the other guys?" Mr Connell asked the salmon-hair boy, whose name seems to be 'Natsu'. _Quite a nice name… 'Summer' huh? It fits his character somehow. _

"They do what they want. Maybe they didn't hear the principal's announcement. Want me to bring'em over?" He replied.

"Yeah, if you could." _It seems like Mr Connell and Natsu know each other very well._

"Yessir!" Natsu ends himself with a salute, "They need to get back here quick so we can get introduced to the girls! Consider me on the case!"

"The teacher's not bad and that kid was pretty cute too." Levy commented.

"Levy, do you ever slow down…?" Erza face-palms herself. I just sweatdrops by the side.

* * *

"All right, looks like all four guys are here." Mr Connell stands up from the bench he was sitting the whole time. _Hey! I know those two… _

"Ah hah! It's you…!" I exclaimed, subconsciously. _The guy who hit me with that ball…!_

"This works out perfectly! Gray, go on and apologize to her." The boy with the tattoo nudged the latter's arm.

"Why should I?!" _The nerve of this guy…! _I turn around on the spot and show him my back. "Hahah! Check out the imprint!" He laughs out loud. _Clearly, he may be asking for a death wish…_

"It's your ball that hit her, Gray!" The boy with the tattoo states the literal fact, letting out a depressed sigh in the end.

"Bwha? For real? Sorry about that, for real…" The boy, whose first name I assume is Gray, looks surprised, "Wanna wear my jacket?" He starts to take it off in front of me?!

"… No thanks." I smile it off.

"Man, I am so sorry. I'll make it up to you on the school trip, I swear!" He regains his posture, "I'm Gray Fullbuster. Nice to meet you!" _I had him figured for a jerk before. But it was really just because he never noticed. There's no point holding a grudge against him then._

"Hey, no fair, ice-princess! You can't go puttin' the moves on the girls without me!" Natsu comes running over to where we are. "I'm Natsu Dragoneel! Call me Natsu!" Natsu flashes a toothy grin.

"Sup, Natsu the Clown?" Gray teased.

"Don't call me a clown! You'll ruin their first impression of me!" Natsu whined like a kid. _I can't hold it in anymore…_

"Ahahaha!" I burst out laughing at their argument. "By the way, you know Gray now, but…" Natsu trails off. "After the soccer team ace comes… Me, the baseball team ace!" He triumphs.

"My name's Jellal Fernandes. Gray and I are twins. It's nice to meet you." The guy with the tattoo introduces himself. _Twins? So that's why he was so apologetic earlier._

"Whoa, twins? Are you identical?" Erza seems to be drawn into the conversation.

"No, fraternal." Jellal replies.

"Okay, that explains it. You seem pretty different for twins." Erza nodded as she spoke.

"Yeah?" Jellal smiled nervously.

"Heck yeah! You're the sensitive one." Gray swings his arm over Jellal's shoulder with a smirk adorned on his face, "She said so!"

"I did not!" Erza let out a murderous aura. I whimpered some comforting words while I pin her down from jumping and start to kill Gray.

"Ahaha, sorry. Gray hates it when people compare us." Jellal reassures us. Gray looks troubled for the moment before he turns and look at us,

"It just sucks…" Gray spoke in a soft voice, gradually getting to his normal voice, "When people lump us together just 'cause we're twins!"

"… I'm sorry." Erza apologizes…! _Erza? Apologizing?! That's something you don't see every day._

"Eh, no biggie." Gray has a splash of pink on his cheeks.

"It'll be fine. Gray loves girls." Jellal laughs from seeing his brother's face.

"Shut up!" Gray retorted back, still blushing. _Is Jellal the younger brother? He's pretty calm… I'd have to guess he's the older one. _I wonder to myself.

"Hey, I love girls too!" Natsu joins in, throwing his arms around Gray.

"Then go hug a girl instead!" Gray exclaims.

"No girl would let me get away with it." Natsu exclaims back, in a surprised tone, "On that note, I am in the market for a girlfriend! First come, first served!"

"Natsu! God, you never let up…" Mr Connell sighs but still have a warm smile on his face, "Who's left to introduce? Cheney?" He points over to…

"I'm Rogue Cheney." _All he does is glance up from his book and back down again?_ _He's kind of quiet compared to the other guys… _

"Come on, is that all? You can do better than that." Mr Connell exclaims.

"Fine. Nice to meet you." _He didn't even look up from his book this time… _

"…" Mr Connell has a troubled expression on his face.

"Rogue's a little shy, as you can see." Natsu smiled, "But he's a pretty cool guy. All the girls that go for the sophisticated type are always trying to talk to him. They're all like, hey there, handsome!" Natsu shifts Rogue's book to the side and grins to him.

"Natsu, you're not funny." _Whoa. He didn't even bat an eye. He just went back to his book! But he did call Natsu by his first name. I guess they're friends? _Rogue keeps reading after all the introductions are finished.

"Rogue, what book are you reading?" I asked out of curiosity.

"… The Gay Science." _Whew, I was afraid he'd ignore me. But… Gay Science?_

"That sounds complicated." _It is all I can think of to say! I'm so stupid…_

"Of course it would be to you, if you think of it that way."

_Ouch…_

"Am I bothering you by talking to you?"

"I'd be more interested in discussing Nietzche than having some pointless conversation."

"N-Nietzche?" _Ugh, we're not even talking on the same wavelength… _

"All right, we'll meet up in ten minutes. Until then, dismissed!" Mr Connell orders.

"Okay!" I reply.

"Hey Luce, got a sec?" Natsu calls me over. _Luce? What's up with that nickname?_

"Uh, sure."I meekly reply as I walk towards him.

"Let's sneak out together on the last night. Whaddya say?" Natsu whispered into my ear.

"What?!" I exclaim at the top of my voice.

"Hey Natsu, come on." Gray calls him over.

"Well, see you soon." Natsu grins at me before running off. _There he goes…_

* * *

The student body is in a uproar.

"No way! It's the real Freed! He's so hot!" _Wait, Freed Justine, the celebrity?! Come to think of it, I did hear rumors he went to Fairy Tail Shonen High… _Freed Justine is walking our way.

"Oooh! Freed! Shake my hand!" Levy's jumping up and down.

"Cut it out, Levy-chan." I spoke in a stern voice, "He's here as a student on a field trip, remember?"

"…" _I just made eye contact with Freed?! _

"I'm not exactly here as a student." He smiles, "I've got a filming crew from a documentary show here with me, so I'd say it's half and half."

"Wow, he talked to you!" Levy squealed from the side. _Come on, Levy-chan…_

"You've got a whole filming crew with you? Awesome!" Erza joins in, "I watch your show!" _Now, even Erza's getting in on the act… _

"Thanks for your support." Freed smiled at Erza and Levy.

"Eeeeee!" Levy and Erza squeal with joy. _Seeing Freed's TV star smile… I can see how they'd want to shriek, but still… _

"… What's your group?" Freed asks. _Wait… Me? _He still has a smile plastered across his face.

"Class A, group A." I reply, surprisingly without shuttering.

"Huh. That's my group." He looks… amused? _What?! Did I hear that right?! _

"Freed, let me get a shot of you over there with the bus in the background!" A staff shouts for Freed from a far distance.

"Coming." Freed replies and with that, he and his filming crew walk off. The girls are still freaking out.

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom!" I told Levy and Erza.

"Okay, we'll be on the bus!" Levy replies.

"Sure thing." I run off to the nearest toilet.

****Five minutes later****

"Lucy! You're late!" Mr Connell looks upset with his arms akimbo.

"Sorry, Mr Connell." I bow and apologize to Mr Connell. _There was a line in the bathroom… _

"Everyone's waiting. Hurry up and find an open seat on the bus." Mr Connell's face softens and patted me on the shoulder.

"Yes, sir!" I exclaim. I step onto the bus… And everyone looks my way.

_Wait, Levy and Erza are sitting together?! _

_What do I do, then? The only open seats are all next to the boys… _

_Who do I sit by?_

* * *

_**Ohayo minna-san! So, how was it? I honestly think Natsu is way out of character but I hope you could go along with it. Here are the characters of the story.**_

_**OC - Lucy**_

_**Taketo - Gray**_

_**Yasuto - Jellal**_

_**Kanji - Natsu (originally, I thought of Loke at first but then... I felt something would be way off in the future.)  
**_

_**Homare - Rogue**_

_**Nagisa - Freed**_

_**Shindo - Alzack**_

_**Nakamura - Levy**_

_**Chii - Erza**_

_**So, I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. *smiles* Remember to vote for your favourite character to continue the story! Ja Ne~! *fairy tail sign***_


	2. Jellal - Chapter 1

_**Konnichiwa minna-san! This is YukimaraMegumi here! Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and reviews! *Bows deeply* You guys are the best! Hehe. Just a quick announcement, the poll has currently closed and for the first time, the winner is... *drum roll***_

_**J.E.L.L.A.L. Jellal! *confetti* Congrats to Jellal and thank you for your votes! I'm really sorry if you were expecting to be other characters but just to let you know, after Jellal's route, you guys can vote for the second character that you want Lucy to end up with! Gambate (Good luck) to the second lucky contestant. And without further ado... Here's Chapter 1 for Jellal!**_

* * *

The only open seats are next to boys!

_Hmm…_

.

.

_Jellal seems like the nicest guy. I think I'll sit with him. _

"May I sit here?" I ask him, as polite as I can.

"Sure, go ahead." He replies with a smile.

"Our class trips finally happening, huh?" I start a conversation with him as I take my seat.

"…" _Huh, maybe he didn't hear me. I had him figured for an outgoing guy… But he's just staring outside. _

"Ooh! I wanna go here!" I heard Levy's voice a few seats behind me.

"Sure, just keep an eye out for it when we get there." Erza replies to Levy.

_Sigh… Erza and Levy sound like they're enjoying themselves. Rogue's lost in his book. Not exactly giving off a conversational vibe there… Gray and Natsu are having their own little chat. I can't believe I'm already bored on this trip. _

"…" _What's on Jellal's mind, anyway?_

"Ooh!" Suddenly, he exclaims. _He looks overjoyed. What's gotten into him now? _Finally able to muster up my courage, I ask him,

"You've been looking outside for a while now. What's out there?"

"Ramen places and curry places." Jellal states as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Huh?" It is all I could say at that very moment.

"I'm counting to see if there are more ramen or curry places on the way," Jellal has a cheerful grin, "I'll eat at whichever one wins." _He's thinking about lunch already?! _I sweatdrop at his excitement.

"You must be a big eater, Jellal." I try to keep up with the conversation.

"Yup. Ooh, that's seven for ramen!" _He's still counting?! Though somehow… he has gotten my attention. Weird… _

"What'll you do if it's a tie?" I ask him, out of curiosity.

"Huh?!" Jellal looks at me with a surprised expression.

…_Wow, he looks so serious now. Is he really having a hard time figuring it out?_

"I never thought of that! What would I do…?" He looks so troubled. _I… I can't take this anymore…_

"Bwahahaha!" I burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Huh?" Jellal faces me, still oblivious.

"You're a funny guy, Jellal!" I say between the peals of laughter I was holding in.

"Heheh!" Jellal lets out a chuckle. _He laughed… I had him figured for a serious guy, but he's pretty cute when he's laughing. I feel bad for laughing at him just now…_

"Er… Sorry for laughing at you." I apologize.

"Hey, what's so funny over here?" Natsu's head bobs up from the seat in front of ours.

"Is my brother bothering you?" Gray joins in the conversation.

"Not at all. He's just…" I put my hand in front of my mouth to prevent from bursting out laughing again.

"I was counting ramen and curry places, and I guess she thought it was funny." Jellal states bluntly.

"Ahaha! You're like a first-grader, Jellal…" Natsu laughs.

"You've got a chick sitting next to you, for Mavis's sake." Gray sighs, "Who cares about counting games?!"

"What?! Come on…" Jellal looks disheartened by Gray's comment.

"If you had a tie, you could just eat both!" Gray smirks at the end of his speech. My eyes literally drop onto the floor.

"B-both?!"

"Hey, good idea! Thanks, Gray! I can always count on you in a pinch!" Jellal looks amazed, somewhat.

_Wait, is he treating this like it's normal?! _My jaws drop onto the floor next.

"You should give the girl the window seat anyway." Gray continues.

"Huh? Is that a rule or something?" Jellal looks at his brother, looking confused.

"Sorry 'bout my little bro, Lucy. He isn't very good at taking hints." Gray lets out a depressed sigh as he shakes his head in utter disappointment.

"It's okay. I don't need a window seat! Go on, keep counting." I smile at Jellal.

"Who cares about that? We're eating both anyway!" Gray triumphs, "S' long as we're here, wanna play a game or somethin'?"

"Yeah, good call! You know the score, Gray!" Natsu cheers.

"Damn straight." Gray snorts proudly.

"So, what'll it be? Old Maid? UNO?" Natsu looks excited.

"We'll play the classic class trip game!" Gray announces, somehow under the limelight. _Where did that spotlight come from?! _

"Isn't that kind of old?" Natsu suddenly looks bored.

"Y' think so? Could be fun." Gray replies casually.

_Now it's feeling more like a real class trip! Gray and Jellal sure act pretty different for twins. Gray seems like he's the kind of guy to always take charge. _

"Rabbit, koala, squirrel, hamster." Rogue mumbles some words abruptly. _And now Rogue's joining in without even looking up from his book… _

"You're next, Lucy." Rogue looks at me with a stern expression.

"Oh, sorry! Um… Rabbit, koala, squirrel, hamster…" I trail off, thinking of what to say next, "Then, um… Kangaroo. Okay, Jellal's next! Er…"

"…"

"Whoa. Is Jellal asleep now?!" Gray exclaims, "Man, he always dozes off at the worst times."

_Now, with a closer look, Jellal really does seem like a child. Falling asleep in the middle of a game is something a kid would do. It's almost cute. _My lips surpass a giggle.

"We should keep it down. I wouldn't want to wake him up." I told the rest with a smile, "Let's call off the game, huh?"

"Sure, I'll take his turn and wrap it up!" Gray volunteers himself, "In the cute creatures category…" He trails off…

"Rabbit, koala, squirrel, hamster, kangaroo… Lucy."

"Huh?" I was momentarily shocked at that moment.

"There's no topping that for cute creatures, so that ends the game!" Gray grins gleefully.

"Man, can you believe this guy?!" Natsu heaves a sigh, "Luce, don't fall for that crap. Gray moves fast." He jokes.

"You're the last person to go around sayin' that!" Gray retorts back, with the grin that says 'Victory is mine!' Natsu looks surprised.

_It sounds like Gray and Natsu go out with a lot of girls. They must be pretty popular. _

"I'm gonna get back to my seat, Natsu. Time to sleep around for a while!" Gray deliberately sounds like he is exhausted but in reality…

_He's trying to make it sound naughty! What a shallow guy! _I throw an insult in my head.

"Well, guess I'll stick with Luce then!" Natsu sounds happy… A little **too **happy in my opinion, "C'mon, I'll join you!" He grins his toothy grin again, that made my heart skip a beat for that moment.

"S-sure" _Darn it… I stammered! _

"So, I'm curious. Why'd you sit next to Jellal, anyway?" Natsu looks at me with intrigued eyes, "Did he look like your type or somethin'?" I almost choke on my own saliva.

"Well, um…" I try to find the suitable words for an explanation, "He looked like someone easy to talk to. I wasn't expecting him to be busy counting diners on the wa-"

"Hahah!" I was interrupted by Natsu's sudden laugh, "From the way you made a beeline for his seat, I figured you might be a fan of his."

"A fan?" _Now I'm interested… _"Does Jellal have fans?" I ask, confused.

"What, you didn't know?" Now, Natsu looks surprised, "Don't let his looks fool you. Jellal's a baseball star so good that he's pitched at Koshein."

"Wow, I had no idea!" I exclaim, purely amused, "I guess I've heard that FT Shonen High had a really food baseball team and soccer team."

"Yeah! And I'm on the soccer team!"

"I thought you were sleeping, Gray!" Natsu exclaims, utterly surprised. _Was he… eavesdropping on our conversation? _I suspect. _No way he would do that… _I shake away that thought.

"I'm a forward on the main roster, y'know. I've played at the nationals." Gray proudly boasts, "If you want someone to go out with, look no further!"

"Is that right?"_Is it just me or is he trying to hit on me…? Time to shake things up a bit… _"Don't you get enough attention from girls without hitting on me?" I state bluntly, right in his face.

"Sure, but I like girls like you. The considerate type." A smirk creeps up to his face, "It was pretty nice of you to call off the game with Jellal asleep. Let's try to get along, huh? G'night!" And with that, he went back onto his seat.

_I can't tell how serious he is… But the nerve of this guy…_

"Man, those twins are like night and day!" Natsu interrupted my train of thoughts, "Jellal's just snoring away in the middle of all this noise! Havin' a Jelliesta over there." _Huh? What is he trying to imply…?_

"… Sorry, that must have sounded lame!" Natsu has a tint of pink on his face. _Is he… blushing? He must have seen my confused expression… Hahah, poor guy… _

"Haha, not at all! I never normally hang out with guys, I'm having a good time!" I give Natsu a reassuring smile.

"Aww, that's so sweet! Maybe I'll go for you, too!" Natsu grins. _Huh? What does he mean by 'go for you'? I wonder…_

* * *

_Ngh… I know it goes with riding a bus, but my back hurts after sitting for so long… _I stretch my limbs as I get down the bus.

_Ooh, a food stand! I hope they're selling something good. _I walk towards to stand. _Hey, there's Rogue. He's looking at postcards… _

"…" _Books and postcards. He looks so cool, but he's got such old-fashioned taste._

… _Huh._

"…" Rogue smiles. _I never thought he could look so sweet when he smiled…_

"Hmm, what to do…" _Hm? Isn't that…? _

_Yeah, it sounds just like Jellal! _

"One scoop of vanilla, and make it a big one!" _A big one? Whoa, the lady at the stand really is making it huge. Grownups seem to like him. _

"Whoa, look at the size of that! Thanks a bunch!" Jellal thanks the lady with a huge smile. _Jellal's so open and friendly… And he's positive to everybody around him. He really comes off like a team player. _

"That looks good." I say with a smile.

"Hey, Lucy! Want a bite?" Jellal places the cone in front of me.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry." I politely refuse his offer.

"No?" Jellal look at me again, still haven't move the cone from its place. I lightly shake my head,

"So, did you get your ramen and curry?" I change the subject. Jellal smiles at me,

"I got to have my curry, but they were sold out of ramen." He nervously scratches the back of his head, "Not much point to counting after all."

"Aww, that's too bad." I honestly feel sorry for Jellal's efforts on counting, it seems like it has gone to waste.

"… Yeah. Say, uh…" Jellal looks troubled by something, "sorry about acting inconsiderate."

"Huh?" I am confused. _Why are you apologizing for?_

"I never knew you were supposed to give girls the window seat until Gray told me." He still has that troubled expression on his face. _Jellal's such a cool guy, but he has no idea how to deal with girls. _

"It's okay, don't worry about it!" I try to lighten up the moody aura that surrounds Jellal.

"You sure? I really am sorry, though!" Jellal apologizes once more. _What a big sweetie… He and Gray are twins, but you'd never guess it from how different they act. _I just give him a reassuring smile,

"It's alright. Don't worry."

* * *

_**So... How was it? I hope you guys enjoyed it though! *smile* My honest opinion... I didn't expect Gray to be such a flirt... *sweatdrop* Same goes for Natsu... *goes to the emo corner* Oh well, I hope you guys don't mind the amendments I made in this story. If you don't like it, well, I'm truly sorry and I hope you could get along with the storyline. This is my first time seeing this route too. Hehe... *sweatdrops***_

_**ANYWAY... I just hope you enjoy reading this chapter! Do check out my other stories too! This is the forth (or is it fifth?) story I have written so far. Oh yea! Have you guys checked out the latest chapter for the manga?! It's just so damn awesome! *fangirl scream* Well, look forward to my next chapter ne? Ja Ne! *fairy tail sign***_


	3. Jellal - Chapter 2

_**Konnichiwa minna-san! YukimaraMegumi here! Just a quick announcement... Please don't be too disappointed in this chapter. I'm not sure about you guys but I was disappointed. *sniffle* Anyway, here's Jellal's Chapter 2!**_

* * *

**Day 1 – Tokyo – Kyoto**

"This is Safari Park. It's the first stop on our class trip." Mr Connell explains, "When you're in there, stick to your groups! I don't want anyone going off by themselves. You must be present for the wild animal zone vehicle tour and you must be here on time when it's time to go!"

"Also," He continues, "Justine's going to be doing filming for his class trip tour show. If he or his crew asks any of you for help, that's up to you. Just try not to make too much noise around them! That is all." As we are about to go off, he calls us back again. _Mr Connell, if you have to say something… Please say it till the end. _I sweatdrop.

"Oh, and if you need anything, you can call me on my cell phone!" With that done, our group go into the park.

* * *

"Ooh! Freed's doing filming!" Levy squeals with excitement.

"Cut it out, Levy! Didn't he just say not to make a bunch of noise?" Erza reminds her. _Erza, as serious as always, is really reliable in a pinch. It's still a pretty exciting thought. When does anyone ever get to see a celebrity do filming this close?_

"Oh hey!" _Wait, is Freed waving at me?_

"Hey Freed! You haven't gotten started yet?" Jellal starts a conversation with him casually. _Oh… He was waving at Jellal behind me. Are those two friends?_

"They're still setting the cameras. Where're you gonna start, Jellal?" Freed goes on with their conversation.

"We haven't decided yet. Right?" Jellal turns and looks at me.

"Yeah." I reply, trying to hide my nervousness.

"Oh, aren't you…?" Freed trails off, thinking.

"You remember me?" I am surprised. _A celebrity remembers me?!_

"Sure. I mean, we just met two hours ago, right?" Freed smiles, "Uh… Sorry, though. I don't think I got your name."

"It's Lucy."

"Nice to meet you, Lucy." _It's kind of mind-blowing to hear a national celebrity call me by my name. Wait…_

"Freed? It looks like a bunch of rabbits and squirrels are swarming all around you…" _It's true though… They are literally surrounding him._

"They always come sneaking up on me…" Freed nervously scratched the back of his head, "When I did filming at a farm, I got stuck in the middle of a bunch of sheep. It was nuts."

"Sheep?!" I exclaim, uncontrollably. _I can kind of see a resemblance… Freed's got kind of fluffy hair like a sheep, despite the colour though. _

***Bump***

"Hey. It's a goat… Do you want something?" I look at the creature that bumped into me. _Aww, that's cute! I get it. It wants the tissue in my pocket! Goats eat paper, right?_

"Wait." Freed grabs my hand.

"W-what's up?" I try to hide my embarrassment.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Freed looks serious, "He might not have any trouble eating it, but paper these days has chemicals in it. It could make him sick or worse. It could be deadly to him if he can't digest it." _Oh… I didn't know that it could be THAT dangerous!_

"Oh… Thanks for the warning." I gave him a smile.

"… Sure thing. It's for his own good, too." Freed smiles back. _By him, does he mean the goat? Freed must see animals the same way he sees people. No wonder he's so popular with animals. _

"Freed, stand by!" I can hear someone calling from afar.

"Coming!" Freed shouts back as the figure gets closer.

"Sorry, but remember, you're on a job here!" He has a suit on and with his arms akimbo. _Is that Freed's manager? It looks like she's keeping a close eye on him._

"Have fun with that." Jellal tells Freed.

"Thanks, Jellal. I will." Freed has the same smile on his face before he goes off with his manager.

"So, Jellal. Are you friends with Freed?" I ask, being curious for quite some time already.

"Yup." Jellal grins.

"He looks totally different when he's on the job, huh?" I comment at Freed.

"He does?" Jellal looks surprised, for some reason, "You know, Freed once told me I was more like an animal than a person."

"What?" Now, it's my turn to be surprised.

"But people are animals too! He's a pretty funny guy." Jellal laughs in a childish manner. _Somehow, I think the word 'soothing' was made to describe Jellal. I never thought I'd meet such a nice guy in high school…_

* * *

"Luce!"

"Ack!" I exclaim in agony, "Watch it, Natsu! Don't grab people's arm like that!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!" _Doesn't look like you are sorry to me. _I sweatdrop at the smiling Natsu.

"C'mon, though! Let's take a walk around!" Natsu still hasn't let go of my arm, "I've had one goal since I met you…" Natsu trails off. _What goal?_

"And that's to go with you to the petting zoo!" Natsu cheers childishly.

"What? Really? Why?" I am still confused… _Who would make going to a petting zoo with a person their goal? _

"Honestly! I just thought it'd be cute seeing you with some rabbits." He gives me his famous toothy grin.

"Come on, that's enough teasing." I reply in reflex.

"Who's teasing?!" Natsu looks surprised, "Say, what's been goin' on with you, anyway?! Don't tell me Jellal's your type for real?! Did that soothing smile of his win you over?!" And now, he's teasing me for real, "Are you gonna have a Jelliesta now?!" He laughs at his own jokes.

"That joke is getting overplayed." I retort as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Ouch, that stings," _Yet, you still have that toothy grin of yours on your face! _"But man, it's so cool hearin' a girl shoot down my jokes! You can shoot me down anytime!" He has that teasing grin replacing his toothy one.

"Ahaha, what the heck!" I burst out laughing.

"There! You laughed!" Natsu smiles his biggest smile I have seen so far, "I wanted to see you laugh once!"

_Natsu's such a fun guy… Is it even possible to make him upset?_

"Since we're in the same group and all, I wanted to talk some with you." Natsu faces me with a small smile, "Think about it, we just got lumped in together this morning. Doesn't it blow your mind?"

"It sure does, when I think about it that way." I smile in return.

"People say things like that are fate." Natsu gently smiles at me, "And I like to make the most out of that kinda stuff. Life's way more fun when you have a ton of friends to share it with!"

"Maybe you're right…" I give him the same smile in return.

"I totally am!" Natsu grins, "Hey! Gray's playing soccer! Come check it out, he's super good!"

"Ack!" Natsu yanks my arm, again?! "I told you, don't grab my arm like that!" Natsu just grins happily, ignoring my yell.

_Sometimes I wonder, where does Natsu get all that energy?_

* * *

"See? Gray's a pro at this!" Natsu points out, "Hey, Jellal's getting in on it too!"

_I don't really get how soccer works, but Gray's good at this._

"It's like he and the ball are best buds. I think he's a little too good. Look at how easily he's avoiding everybody else…" Natsu looks at the match with such fired up eyes, "Let me in on the action!" _Natsu jumps right into the playfield?!_

"Natsu's way too impulsive!" I huff, "… But it's kind of cute, in a way."

"This is stupid." Someone says behind me.

"Huh?!" I spin my head around and find… "R-Rogue?"

"Don't we get enough soccer at school without dealing with it on a class trip?"

_He has a point… _

"…" _Wait, he's just walking off now?! _

"Aw man! Gray could take us by himself!" Jellal complains, "He's too good!"

"Haha. I guess you're right!" Gray has a victory smile spread across his face, "Okay, that's enough!"

"Hey, you can't call it off right when you're winning!" Jellal whines and pouts slightly. Natsu is also shocked to know that the game has been called off after he has joined in only for a short while.

"Yeah, Gray! Let me win one!" Natsu agrees without hesitation. _Wow, that's a new look on Jellal's face! Boys sure do get competitive at their games._

"Knock it off. What're the girls supposed to do if we keep standin' around playin' soccer?" Gray states a point, "We're supposed to be a group here!"

"Oh, yeah." Jellal's eyes dawn in realization.

.

.

.

_Is it just me, or is Gray getting a little snippy?_

* * *

"I had a blast watching you guys play!" I chirp, "You're like a different person when you're out on the field."

"Yeah, I get that a lot. People call it my game face." Jellal states, knowingly, "I couldn't tell you much about it myself though…"

"Yeah, you were so cool!" I say honestly.

"Aww, you're embarrassing me." Jellal has a splash of pink on his cheeks, "I wish I could be good at everything the way Gray is. But I guess I never think much about anything but the stuff I'm into." _It really must bother Jellal to be not like his older brother…_

"You're Jellal, though." I give him an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, that's the way I see it!" Jellal smiles back.

_And he's supposed to be some kind of baseball prodigy… He must be a pretty tough guy deep down._

**RAWR!**

"EEEK!" I shriek out in fear.

"!" Jellal looks surprised and shocked at the same time.

_A lion?! Oh… We must have stopped in front of a lion cage…_

"Whew, that was scary!" Jellal exclaims

"Y-yeah…" I manage to speak, somehow. _Was it really? Jellal sure looks calm. _"I didn't even know they kept lions in cages here."

"Course they do. Where else would they stay, houses?" Jellal jokes.

"I just mean, the place is called Safari Park." I correct myself, "I figured they'd stay in the zone that's off-limits to everything but cars."

"Oh yeah, good point! That's odd, why ARE they in cages?" Jellal wonders out loud. _Jellal lives in his own little wavelength… _

"I wonder if they have any elephants in cages." Jellal grins happily at his own opinion.

"Maybe they do! Want to look for some?" I suggest.

"Sure! Man, this zoo trip is pretty fun!" Jellal cheers.

"Y-yeah, totally!" It was a weak response somehow. _It's a safari park, though… Oh well, as long as he's enjoying himself._

"You're always so cheerful, Jellal! Does anything ever bring you down?" I ask, out of curiosity.

"…" Jellal looks troubled by my question. _Whoa… he looks upset now… _

"Sorry! That came out ruder than I meant…" I apologize.

"Huh? Oh. It's no big deal!" _He must have some serious baggage deep down. Maybe I shouldn't have said that…_

* * *

**_How's the chapter minna-san? There's a little NaLu moment there too... Too bad it didn't last long. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Look forward to my next! Ja Ne! *fairy tail sign*_**


	4. Jellal - Chapter 3

_**Konnichawa minna-san~! Here's your long-awaited chapter! (FINALLY!) Yea... Sumimasen for the wait... It was really tough to figure out what went wrong. Apparently, my laptop keeps on shutting down by itself whenever I wanna upload this chapter... -3- Anyway, enjoy~! :3**_

* * *

**Day 1 – Tokyo – Kyoto**

"What's with this crowd…?!" _Not to mention, it's all girls… These can't all be students on class trips, right?_

"I bet they're fans of Freed!" Levy looks somewhat disappointed, "Word got out on the Internet about where he was staying or something."

"Oh, that explains why Freed didn't take the bus back from the Safari Park." Erza has the same crestfallen look but a tiny bit troubled. "Did he go to a different hotel? He's supposed to be on a class trip with us…"

_Wow… all these people are here to see Freed… I guess it goes without saying, but he really is a teen idol. It's no wonder he's friends with Jellal. It'd take a space case like him to get along normally with Freed._

"We're not answering any questions. I'd appreciate it if you would leave now."

"Can't you make an exception? We want to show him our support!" A man in the ocean of girls retorts back. _Mr Connell?! It must suck having to deal with the entertainment news crews… And Freed just wants to have a nice, low-key class trip. _

"Fernandes isn't ready to field questions from you guys yet. Could you please give him some space?" Mr Connell looks so troubled.

.

.

.

_Wait, Fernandes? Not Freed? Are they talking about Jellal or Gray?_

* * *

"Huh, the sign said the dining hall was this way…" I mumble out loud.

"That's a staff hallway. The dining room is this way." Rogue points out flatly. _Wait… How did he get here? He wasn't there a second ago. _I shake off the thought.

"Oh, thanks! It's so easy to get lost here." I heave out a sigh.

"It's takes a special kind of talent to get lost going down a straight hall." Rogue snickers. _He doesn't have to be so rude about it… But at least he's showing me the right way. _

"Say, weren't you looking at the postcards today at the souvenir stand?" I start a conversation, since we are walking the same way.

"…" _Woah, look at that glare… Maybe that was the wrong thing to ask. _"… It also takes a special sort to spy on others."

"S-sorry, I wasn't trying to!" I apologize immediately.

"We're here, Superspy." Rogue ignores what I said and states it flatly… again.

"…" _He is so mean…_

* * *

"…"

"My goodness…" _Look at Jellal go… The guys don't seem to notice. Is this normal? _

"The way he's wolfing the food down, it should be flattered…" Erza makes a remark. Levy nods in firm agreement.

"Hey girls, if you want any seconds, now's the time to grab 'em." Gray says as he reaches for the rice cooker, "Jellal eats a ton, and does it damn quick…" He lets out a groan.

"Hell, so do the rest of us…" Apparently, there's only a quarter left in the rice cooker!

"O-okay, thanks," I sweatdrop at Gray's expression.

"I think we're good." Erza says as she continues her bowl of rice.

"You sure?" Gray asks.

"…" _Jellal's going back for more?! The way he's eating, he'll never keep it all down… _

"Hey, Jellal! Get me half of whatever you're gettin'." _Gosh, now Gray's doing it too?! He looks so skinny… If only I could get away with that. _I let out a small sigh. _I guess guys on sports teams have big appetites…_

"Is this good for you, Gray?" Jellal hands Gray his bowl.

"Yeah, thanks." Gray's mouth cracks up a small smile as he receives his bowl. _He looks like a kid getting a lollipop…_

"I'm feeling stuffed just watching the twins eat…" Natsu grimaces. _Hmm… The long bus ride probably took a toll on him… I have an impression of Natsu, shoving food down his throat. _

"Shufwumph!" The duo yells at him in unison.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Rogue shoots them an annoyed look.

"You two hate being lumped in together, but you sure sound alike when you're eatin'!" Natsu laughs it off. _Erza's sitting next to Jellal, and she's watching him. _

_Oh, Jellal's already done with his side dishes. She wants to share some with him. _I felt my lips curling up into a small smile. _Aww… That's so sweet of her._

"Lucy?"

"Whoa! Uh, yes?" _Now Jellal's standing next to me? When did that happen?!_

"Could I have that if you aren't gonna finish it?" Jellal gives me a small smile. At that moment, I felt a tug in my heart. _Huh? What was that feeling… _Shaking my thoughts away, I look at where Jellal's gaze is.

"Huh? Oh! The carrots?!"_ I don't like boiled carrots, so I didn't touch mine._

"Sure, I don't mind but..." I look back down to my carrots. I feel kinda pathetic… "Sorry it's such a small portion."

"It's totally fine. I just wouldn't want any to go to waste." Jellal's face lights up as I give him the carrots, "Thanks!" _For some reason, that put me on edge… _

"You can have this, too." Erza places her carrots into Jellal's plate.

"Mine too. I don't like these."Levy takes advantage of this situation and gives Jellal hers too.

"…Oh, thank you. If you insist." _Wait, he was acting differently around me. Almost nervous… Why?_

"Man, I wish I could get food from the girls like Jellal does!" Natsu whines, getting everyone's attention from our table.

"You've still got most of your meal on your plate, Natsu. It'd just mean more leftovers." _Rogue… Don't rain on the poor lad's parade… I feel kinda sorry for Natsu…_

"So what? The important part is being close enough to a chick to get stuff from her." _… I take back my words…_

"It's not about the food, it's about the romance! Am I right or what, Gray?" Gray looks up from his bowl.

"I couldn't care less how romantic food is. I just care about the taste."He continues to eat.

"Man, you traitor!" Natsu exclaims in an exaggerated tone. _Natsu's good at keeping a conversation going…_

"Whew, I can finally eat!" _Mr Connell's carrying a rice bowl… Did he bring his personal rice bowl or something? _

"Are you kidding me?! What happened to my rice?!" Mr Connell looks really shocked.

"Huh? It was just there a minute ago…" I look into the rice cooker, only to find it completed clean?! "You're right! Don't tell me it was…"

"JELLAL! It was you again!" Mr Connell glares at Jellal.

"Huh?! You're just getting your dinner, Coach?! Are you eating your sides?!"

"The sides are all that's left at the teacher's seat!" _Coach…? Oh, I get it. Mr Connell coaches the baseball team._

"For Mavis' sake! Jellal, bring me fifty rice balls from the convenience store, pronto!"

"Fifty rice balls? On it!" Jellal stands up, "Give me some money, Coach!"

.

.

.

"That was a joke!" Mr Connell laughs and ruffles Jellal's hair.

"Aw, really?!" Jellal looks utterly surprised.

"I can't eat fifty rice balls!" He wipes the tears from the corner of his eyes, "Forget it… I'll manage. I'' get some from another group."

_Aww, he left… I hope he can get someone else to share their rice…_

"Hey, Lu-chan," Levy interrupts my train of thoughts, "I think I can guess why Mr Connell was late to dinner…" I give her a confused look.

"I mean, you saw all those reporters hounding him outside."

"You might be onto something there. Mr Connell has it pretty tough." I reply.

_Wait a minute! If Mr Connell is Jellal's coach… _It suddenly dawned on me. _Does that mean all those reporters were there for Jellal?! It looked like there was more to it, though…_

* * *

"Our principal gave us a totally sweet deal!" Levy squeals with joy the moment we entered our room, "I never thought I'd be going on a class trip with boys!"

"Yeah, it's a bold move. It's been fun and all, sure…" Erza chuckles at Levy's facial expression, "But I even got to see Freed! He looks so young!" _**(A/N: Apparently, the three girls are a fan of Freed. Especially Erza) **_I sweatdrop, watching my two best friends giggling in ecstasy.

"Freed doesn't have it easy, though." An image of Freed running towards his manager appears in my mind, "He's supposed to be on a class trip, but he got put in a room all by himself."

"But maybe he likes it in a super fancy suite?" Levy questions.

"That's beside the point." I sweatdrop again, "High school is your only chance to go on a class trip."

"Good point." Erza says, nodding her head, "Idols have their own problems, I guess."

"Yeah, whatever, Lu-chan." Levy somehow has no sympathy towards Freed, "I bet you really wish you could have shared a room with Freed."

.

.

.

.

.

_E-excuse me?!_

"I saw how cozy you two were getting at Safari Park!" Levy squeals with excitement.

"Th-that's not true!" I retort back, trying my best to stop my face from turning red.

"Freed just happens to be buddies with Jellal." Levy continues as if she didn't hear what I have just said.

"Didn't you see me sitting next to Jellal on the bus?" I let out a heavy sigh. _Honestly, sometimes I wonder what she's thinking in that brain of hers…_

"Now that you mention it, why did you sit next to Jellal? Was it his good looks?" I ponder over Levy's question. Suddenly, Erza seems to be interested as well.

"Hmm… I guess because he looked like the nicest guy there." I reply with a bit of uncertainty.

"Good call there!" Erza remarks.

"Gray's cool, but he seems kind of shallow. Like he wouldn't take a girl seriously."Levy states her opinion on every guy in our group.

"Natsu's a funny guy, but he's also a big goofball. Rogue's hot, but he isn't exactly the social type. So… yeah, that's kinda true. Jellal's the only normal guy of the bunch." I gape at Levy.

"Wow, Levy… You, uh, really know how to put it into perspective." I say.

"Totally!" And there she goes, back to her squealing mode, "The guys in out group are all pretty cool, honestly speaking. The rest is just a personal preference! I can't wait to see what happens next!"

"Yeah, you can't draw any conclusions from just one day." Erza smiles at Levy.

"… Yeah, you're right." _Why do I have a bad vibe about what's coming next…?_

"Then let's hear your first-day impressions." Levy stands up on her futon, "Who's your type, girls?!"

"What?! You go first, if we're doing that!" I stammer my way out, for that moment. _I knew it… Levy is always like this… Sigh…_

"Fine! If I share, you both have to share too, okay?" Levy shoots us a big grin.

"O-okay!" Both of us reply simultaneously.

"I have my eyes on…" Levy gives us the suspense. Both of us lean in.

.

"Mr Connell!" The two of us fall anime-styled.

"Huh?!" I exclaim.

"Come on, that's cheating!" Erza exclaims as well.

"It is not!" Levy pouts, "I've had my sight on Alzack since the moment I saw him at the meet-up point!" _Isn't it a bit too early to call Mr Connell by his first name…? _Both of us sweatdrop.

"Okay, enough of me! Now, it's your turn! Come on, spit it out!"Levy give us that big grin again.

"Maybe Jellal for me." Erza states boldly.

"Ooh." I am surprised and somehow, I know it would be him…

"That's just from ruling the others out!"Erza exclaims, "Now it's your turn, Lucy."

"Yeah. Who's caught your eye, Lu-chan." Both of them look at me.

"I'd have to go with Jellal." I reply.

"Ooh, same as me! I bet you think he's pretty cool!" Erza beams a big smile at me.

"Ahaha, maybe!" _Jellal's the only one I've talked to, so it's hard to say much right now._

_._

_But he's just as sweet and easy to talk to as I'd hoped._

* * *

**_So... I hope you liked it though. And yea, Natsu is a bit of a flirt this chapter. :3 Please leave a review!_**

_**Review = Happiness = Motivation = Faster updates = MORE CHAPTERS! **_

_**It's a win-win situation. *wink* and really, your reviews are certainly the best! Also, please do check out my other stories. I have just finished '7 days with you' and writing a short epilogue. Hehe! Ja Ne! *fairy tail sign***_


	5. Jellal - Chapter 4

_**Ohayo minna-san! This is currently 1 am from my side of the world! Hehe~! Yea, I pulled up a late-nighter to finish this (well, I did start late so that's not really the issue...) Well, I can't just sit still after reading all your wonderful reviews! *cries tears of happiness* It really warms my heart &amp; soul that you guys actually took time to write! Most of your reviews are really an eye-opener! I made some amendments to the story so I hope you don't mind! *wink***_

_**And for those who have guessed it... YESSS! This is adapted from the Voltage Game: Class Trip Crush *fangirl screams* Those guys are sooooo cool! *nosebleeds***_

_**Anyway, enjoy!**_

* * *

**Day 2: Kyoto**

_Aww, I was the first one to wake up… Maybe the ride yesterday left my muscles stiff. Levy and I also stayed up all night reading each other's novels. Yet, I had to be the early bird… _

There's plenty of time before breakfast. And I'm in Kyoto. So I decide to take a morning stroll by myself. _But hey… There goes a saying 'The early bird chases the tastiest worm'. Erza and Levy are still sleeping like a rock. And the weather seems pretty cool, so why not?_

_Hey, I see some people playing baseball in the river bed… _I squint my eyes at them. _Wait, is that Mr Connell? _Feeling curious, I walk towards their direction.

* * *

"C'mon! Show me some hustle!"

"You should be able to catch that, no sweat!" Mr Connell is sending up pop flies for the other students on the field to catch. _It doesn't look like sandlot baseball. This must be the boys' baseball team. It must be pretty serious business if they're doing morning drills during a class trip! Hey, that throw grazed the glove. The ball's going off-centre… _Just as that thought occurs to me…

The ball comes sailing right at me.

"Ack!" I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.

**Thwap!**

Someone reaches out and miraculously catches the ball right before it hits me.

"Sorry! Watch out for that!"_Huh?! J-Jellal?! _The latter throws back the ball he caught, fast as an arrow. Then he rushes back to the field as eagerly I can hardly believe my eyes.

_I knew it. That was Jellal! He seems totally different! He looks a hundred times more energetic than he was playing soccer._

"Jellal! Pair up with Gajeel and practice your throws!" Mr Connell bark from the far side of the field.

"Yes sir!" I didn't know much about baseball… But even I could tell Jellal threw the ball differently from the other guys around them playing catch. _Wow, look at that. His motions are so fluid. I'd heard Jellal had pitched a ball at FT Shounen, but wow… He really must be a great pitcher. _

"Give me a pitch straight down the middle." Mr Connell gets to his position, "I want your best shot."

"Yes sir!" Jellal gets ready.

**Fwoosh… Fwunk!**

_Woah! I heard the wind there! And that catch sounded really loud, too…_

"Good form! Gajeel!" Mr Connell has a wide grin plastered on his face, "You take charge of the pitching drills!"

"Yessir! Let's do this, Jellal!" The guy with a long, spiky, black slicked-back hair with blood red eyes -_I'm being strangely descriptive about this dude- _or Gajeel as how Mr Connell called him, pumps his fist in the air.

"Yeah!"

**Fwoosh… Fwunk! **Oh gosh, _even the gentle pitches are loud!_

"Oh hey, I thought I saw a girl here. Good morning, Lucy." Mr Connell suddenly pops out from nowhere in front of me

"Oh, good morning," I greet him back with a bow, "that surprised me! I didn't even recognize Jellal at the start there…"

"Haha, yeah. Jellal turns into a different person the moment he hits the field." Mr Connell laughs at my comment, clearly amused.

"I've never heard a sound like that at a baseball game before." I glance back at the intense game, "… I guess it takes something special to make it to FT Shounen."

"Oh, you knew about that, huh?" Mr Connell chuckles and keeps his gaze on the game.

"Natsu told me about that yesterday…" I recall Natsu goofing around and sweatdrop, "But it's different seeing it up close."

Keeping my eyes on Jellal and Gajeel, I murmured out loud, "That's when it really hit me how good Jellal is."_ Speaking of which… I remember Mr Connell with the reporters yesterday and I want to find out if those reporters were really there for Jellal…_

"Oh, speaking of that, I saw you with those reporters yesterday." _I hope I don't sound so pushy_

"You saw that?!" Mr Connell looks like his eyes just pop out from their sockets, "… Please, don't let Jellal know about them." Suddenly, his face turns dead serious.

"Um, sure." The answer came out with a bit more uncertainty than I hope not to. _I remember thinking there was more to it… _"I'd never guess it from seeing Jellal here, but… Is he having some kind of trouble?"

"…" Mr Connell averts his gaze onto the ground, before he lets out a heavy sigh.

"… It's more emotional trouble than physical." He takes a seat on the ground and I do so the same. "Your mindset can be everything when you're playing sports…" his eyebrows are knitted to the centre as a pained expression replaced his usual bubbly one. _Mr Connell…_

"Jellal was a star player. He was famous in middle school for being a pitching prodigy and he made it up to the FT Shounen pitcher's mound by the time he was a high school freshman. Then it happened… Six months ago, at the national playoffs. He pitched a home run hit in the bottom of the ninth. We lost in the very last inning, and it left him crushed. He hasn't been able to pitch at full strength ever since." _F-full strength?!_

"But those pitches I just saw were so loud…" _So, you're telling me those 'fwoosh'es and 'fwunk's aren't the ones where Jellal puts his full strength?!_

"Jellal's real pitching would blow those out of the water. But now he's so crushed by that ninth inning loss… That he's got a mental block keeping him from pitching at full speed. It's all psychological." Mr Connell replies as he returns his forlorn gaze back into the game. "And it's got me stumped."

_I remember the serious look Jellal got when we were chatting at Safari Park. I never realized how hard it was on him… _Urging to lighten up the mood, my mouth moved at its own will,

"What a shame. He looks so cool when he's playing!"

"Yeah, tell him that!" Mr Connell's encouragement wasn't really the reply I was expecting. His dampened mood was instantaneously gone after that. "Men are pretty simpleminded at the end of the day." Now, he's flashing his wide friendly grin, which makes him look younger somehow. _Ahhh… I see your point now, Levy… _"You might be surprised how fast a guy can get over something when a girl's there to cheer him up!"

"I don't know about that…" I let out a nervous chuckle as I sweatdrop, "Jellal doesn't seem that shallow to me." I laugh it off a little.

"Yeah, maybe not." Mr Connell looks as if it just dawned on him, "he looks like the simple type, but he can be pretty complicated…" I let out a soft laughter as I try to imagine 'Jellal' and 'complicated' going together. Who would have thought, huh?

"Just try to get along, huh? He's a big softie even when he's off the field." Mr Connell says with such sincerity in his voice.

"All right, I'll try to be nice." I give him a reassuring smile, earning a ruffle in my hair from him. Just like an action a caring oni-san would do. _Mr Connell really cares about Jellal._

* * *

Once we finish breakfast and hop on the bus, it's off to our first site of the day, the Kinkakuji temple. When I returned to our room, I found Erza and Levy fully awake. I showed them some shots that I took while I was out on the stroll. And apparently… the picture of Gajeel caught Levy's attention. _Aww… How cute. If only they had a chance to actually meet face-to-face, they would hit off without any problems!_

"We've got enough time here that you could see all the sites at the temple and still have time to spare. Once you're done sightseeing, just remember, stick to your groups!" Mr Connell's instructions are made clear to the group. Sure enough, once we breeze through the whole temple, we have plenty of time left.

"Man, I want something to do!" Gray whines like a little kid, "We could blow this place off and go someplace else, but it's not like any of us know where we're going." _I'd like to take a group photo as a keepsake personally. We haven't taken any pictures of the whole group yet. But I wouldn't want anybody to call me lame for suggesting it…_

"We could just go back to the bus." Natsu suggests. It's surprising cos' of that suggestion to come from someone who has motion-sickness, it takes a lot of guts…

"C'mon, that's not even trying." Gray groans.

"I'm going back to the bus." Rogue agrees with Natsu. _Should I ask…?_

"Wait, Cheney!" Jellal suddenly exclaims, getting all of our attention, "Why don't we all get our picture taken together?" _Yeah! That's it! Good move, Jellal!_

"What?! You mean standing together at some tourist trap grinning like idiots?!" Gray exclaims with an exaggerated tone.

.

.

.

"… I like it, actually. We've got girls with us anyway." Gray's face turns from a scowl to a smirk.

"Yeah, good idea! Man, I'm gettin' fired up already!" Natsu does a fist pump in the air, a goofy grin on his face. "We should have something to remember this by! It's such a normal idea, it never even occurred to me!" The guys are all standing in poses.

"Hurry up, Lucy!" Jellal pulls me over to the group. He looks really excited for some reason.

"Okay, on the count of three! Here goes!" the cameraman signals us, "1… 2… 3!" My eyes are blinded by the white flash.

**Snap!**

Once we're done getting our picture taken, I chat some with Jellal.

"I'm so glad you suggested that! I've always gone to all girls' school… And I was hoping to get a picture with the boys in the group!" I thank him earnestly.

"Really? Glad to hear it!" Jellal returns me a cheeky grin, "There's something I really want to do, too… Could you help me out, Lucy?"

"Sure, what is it?" I give him a smile. _He's so nice… I wonder what would Jellal want to do…?_

_._

_._

_._

"I want to ride a rickshaw!" _R-ride a rickshaw?! _"A guy riding in one alone would look pretty stupid. Could you ride it with me?" A splash of pink is very visible on his cheeks. _But, seriously? Is that what Jellal's worried about? That's cute. _A giggle surpasses my lips but luckily, it was unheard by Jellal.

But the sign on the rickshaw says it is 15 000 yen for an hour ride for two people. _We don't have that much time, and we're on student budgets. Let's see if I can call it off without calling too much attention to it._

"It looks pretty pricey." I mumbled, but loud enough for Jellal to hear it.

"It's okay." Jellal replies with a wide smile. _What?! Jellal's talking to the rickshaw carrier anyway! _I sweatdrop.

"Excuse me. We've got a bus to catch and we're a little short on time, but…" Jellal puts on a really pitiful face, "I really, reeeaaally want to ride one! … Would you let us, pretty please?" _Wow, it takes both guts and skills to bargain with someone like that! I guess he really does want to ride one._

"Really, reeeaaally, huh? Well, I can't say no to that! Hop on!" the rickshaw carrier give us a grin as he gets the rickshaw ready to go.

"Awesome! Lucy, he's giving us a ride!" Jellal looks so innocent… I can't help but smile along with him.

"Thank you very much!" I bow at the rickshaw carrier, to express my deepest gratitude.

* * *

.

.

.

_I never realized it was so cramped in the rickshaw. Jellal really has a well-toned body, seeing it this close up. He's tall and he's got perfect balance, so I never paid much attention before… But wow, he's built… This is kind of hot._

"Hi there!" Jellal's cheery voice brought me back to reality.

"Hello!" A passer-by greets him back.

"Wait, do you know that guy?" I ask, out of curiosity.

"Nah, I just said hi because we made eye contact." Jellal just flashes me an innocent smile. _What?!_

"Well, I guess it's nice to greet others." _But to strangers…? That's something new to me._

"Yeah, I enjoy it." Jellal smiles, "Nobody hates a friendly hello, even strangers. Right?"

"Yeah… Maybe you're right." I reply, murmuring to myself why I didn't thought of that before._ Wow, he is such a sweetheart! He's so nice, it's no wonder he doesn't share the pain of that ninth inning loss with anybody else. I wish I could do something to help him. Isn't there anything I could do?_

After a brief ride around the block, the rickshaw carrier takes a cell phone picture of us.

"Thank you for the ride!" I thank the latter again.

"Yeah, I really appreciate you doing this for us!" Jellal adds on to what I am saying, "How much is it?"

"It's on the house! You didn't ride long, and besides, I like you, kid!" The man ruffles Jellal's hair, chuckling, "People could learn a thing or two from your manners. You didn't even ask me if you could ride. You asked me if I'd let you on! I like people with manners. So I gave you a free ride."

"Wow… Thank you so much!" Jellal gives his biggest smile as he thanks the latter. After that, we say goodbyes to the rickshaw carrier and head for the meet-up point.

* * *

"What a nice guy!" Jellal lets out a soft sigh, still smiling.

"He sure was!" I totally agree with him in this situation. "And I can totally see where he's coming from too." I turn to face Jellal and give him the widest smile I could ever give,

"I think you've got a knack for cheering people up when you talk to them."

"I don't really get it. I guess I wouldn't unless I could clone myself and have a conversation with the clone."Jellal jokes while having a serious expression on his face.

"Haha! Now there's an idea!" I say between my peals of laughter.

"Haha!" Jellal also joins in the laugh, "It's so relaxing, being around you."

"Huh?" _That caught me off-guard and… What's that supposed to mean?!_

"There aren't many girls I can talk to without getting nervous. I think Ultear was the only one."

"Ultear?" That's a name I've never heard of.

"Oh, a friend from my old day care." Jellal explains. _Day care? That just means he was too young to be awkward around girls, right? Well, at the very least, I guess this means I've made a good impression on him._

* * *

**_So... I hope you guys liked it! :3 You guys are seriously the best motivators in my world! *hugs* Be sure to fav, follow and review cos' _**

_***drumrolls***_

_**Reviews = Happiness = Motivation = Faster updates = More CHAPTERS! *wink***_

**_Well, Ja Ne minna~! *fairy tail sign* Let's await for the next chapter! P.S I think Jellal's pretty cute in this chapter. *squeals*_**


	6. Jellal - Chapter 5

_**Konnichiwa minna-san! :3 I've finally reunited with my precious computer after my holiday! Now, it means more chapters! Yay!**_

_**Okay, I'm just wasting your time. Here's Chapter 5 of My Class Trip Crush!**_

* * *

_**~Day 2: Kyoto**_

"Our next stop is the Kiyomizudera temple." Mr Connell's voice catches our attention, "so, it's time for a hike up a hill. C'mon, kids!" He is running full steam ahead while the rest of us lag behind.

"*huff* *huff* These steps are going to kill me…" I am already panting and we have barely begun!

"C'mon Lu-chan!" Levy shows up beside me, saying words of encouragement… Or so as I thought, "You're totally out of shape! Last one there's a rotten egg!"

"Don't leave me behind, Levy!" I exclaim as she overtook me. Sigh, this is the worst…

"You can do it!" Erza says, way ahead of me on the steps… Just then, I feel someone or something nudge me.

"You've got this!" A familiar voice rings through my ears.

"Ack!" I can feel my face getting hotter… _Is that Jellal?!_ Someone nudges me from behind again.

"What's with that yelp?! You alive, Lucy?" _It's Gray! Oh right, they're twins. No wonder they sound alike. _My heart feel heavy for that moment. I wonder why…

"I can't go on… You can go on without me!" I give him a weak smile. _Why am I so unfit?!_

"You okay? C'mon, I'll give you a push!" Gray says as he pushes me from behind. It makes the climb easier, but it's still embarrassing…

"I'm okay, thanks!" _Well, that came out too quickly_, "I'll just take it slow. Really, you can go on ahead!"

.

.

.

Regardless of what I say, he continues to do so.

"… You're embarrassing me!" Gray finally draws back and comes up next to me.

"Ooh, gettin' self-conscious around me now?" He peers into my face with a smirk.

"Ugh…" I grimace. _Even though you look and sound alike, but the way you act, it's like night and day._

"Oh, me and Jellal?" _Great, did I just speak out loud?_ "Yeah, we're kinda opposites, but he's still a good guy." Gray replies to my aloud thoughts.

"You're always looking out for others, huh?" I look at him, "I remember you talking on the bus about giving a girl the window seat. And you slowed down to check up on me today." _To be honest, Gray isn't as bad as he portrays himself._

"That's just common sense. Jellal doesn't pay enough attention to others, if you ask me." He replies in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "He's such a baseball nut, he's never really noticed girls that much."

"Is that right?"

"Yep." He gives me his 'award-winning' smirk, "There's a grand total of two girls in Jellal's life. I know that for a fact." Gray continues.

_Two? Who are they? _"What's wrong with that? Isn't two plenty?" I'm utterly confused. Two is quite a number, compared to none…

"Maybe," Gray says, "except one of them is a day care playmate and the other is mom." _Oh, is he referring to her?_

"Oh, I heard about that! Miyo, right?" I ask him, earning a surprised look from the latter.

"Holy crap… Guess he doesn't have much trouble talkin' to you huh, Lucy?" Gray looks at him. _Now I'm started to feel awkward. _

"… He just doesn't get nervous around me." I say out the first thing that comes into my mind.

"He's not the brightest guy around, but he's a seriously good guy." Gray seems to be happy for some reason, "And not to play favorites, but he's got a pretty handsome face. What's a girl's take on him?"

"Hmm, let me think," I ponder for a moment before answering, "I'd say he's a lot cooler than a normal guy." I state my honest opinion.

"I know, right? Just like me." _And here comes the egoistic Gray. _He states it so proudly, I can't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!"

* * *

I keep chatting with Gray until I finally reach the top of the steps. _Wow, that was faster than I thought I would take._

"Phew… I finally made it! Talking really helped take my mind of the climb." I give Gray a smile with gratitude. "Thanks, Gray!"

"Nah, thank you." Gray says. He looks different from his normal behavior.

"Huh?" The question slips my mouth.

"… Y'know, for stuffs, Hey, pinky!" Gray quickly changes the subject by calling out to Natsu, which earns a 'I told ya, IT'S SALMON FOR MAVIS' SAKE!' from Natsu, before walking off to him!

_Did he join me there to see if anything was going on with me and Jellal? Gray looks shallow, but maybe he gets serious when Jellal's involved._

.

.

.

.

.

.

_He's not gay… is he? _

"You made it, Lu-chan!" Levy's cheery voice breaks my train of thoughts. _Nah… It couldn't be. _I shake away that thought before walking to Levy.

"Yeah, finally! That sucked!" I heave out a sigh. _I'm NEVER going to go through that torture again…_

"You looked like you were having fun with Gray down there." Levy wriggles her eyebrows as she shoots me a smirk.

"Fun was the last thing on my mind." _Honestly, sometimes I wonder whatever happened to the book-loving Levy when it comes to boys… Say, where did Jellal get off too…?_

* * *

_Jellal's been praying for a while now. He looks so serious… This doesn't look like some random token prayer. This is a prayer from someone with serious trouble on his mind. He's usually all smiles… But I know deep down, this baseball thing has been seriously bothering him._

_Maybe I'll pray for a good relationship with Jellal. _ I quietly step up next to Jellal and pray. _Please let us grow closer together! _I pray earnestly, until I notice that Jellal is gone.

* * *

"Ooh, I made it across!" Erza cheers in triumph.

"But you don't even have a boyfriend!" I can hear Levy's voice from this distance. _What are Erza and Levy doing? _

"What's going on over here?" I ask them.

"See this stone? They call it the Winover Stone!" Erza is all smiles now.

"They say if you close your eyes and walk from this stone to the other side… You'll win over your love!" Levy squeals excitedly. _So that was all the commotion was about…_

"You should try it, Lu-chan!" Levy suggests out of the blue. _Well… It won't hurt if I try. _

I close my eyes, stand in front of the stone, and start walking forward cautionly.

"You're a little off center! Bring your right foot in some!" Levy points out. _Am I? _

"Yeah, keep it up!... You did it!" Levy cheers loudly.

"Awesome! I made it?!" I say out loud, with my eyes still closed.

"Nice going! Now your love life is set in stone!" Levy replies, "So! Whose face popped into your head when I said that?" A familiar smile appears in my mind…

_Jellal!_

"What are you girls doing?" _Whoa, now he's here! That's kind of awkward. _"Is this a game? It looks like fun."

"Not quite…" I reply, "They say if you close your eyes and walk from this stone to the other side, your wish will come true."

"Woah, I wanna try!" Jellal looks intrigued. _I was too embarrassed to say love so I replaced it with wish… what do I do now…? _Levy gives me a wink and a grin. _I guess we have to stick with wish now._

"Lucy, am I on course?" Jellal's voice brings me back to Earth.

"Huh?"_And Jellal's already started making the crossing! _

"You're good! Keep going. Go a little to the left! Yeah, that's it… You made it!" I cheer out subconsciously. That's great for him!

"All right! Thanks, Lucy!" Jellal flashes his bright smile to me.

"Look at you two!" Levy grins at us. _Ugh, Levy's grinning for ear to ear! _"Hey Jellal, do you like Lucy?"

"Huh?!" Both of us exclaim in perfect synchronization.

"Um, I guess if you're asking, uh…" Jellal has a pink splash of color on his cheeks. _Why's he so nervous around Levy?_

"Let's go, Lucy."

* * *

Jellal tugs me along by my uniform sleeve.

_Let's go? But I was with Erza and Levy to start with… _I feel awkward… but kinda flattered too.

"Were you around for morning practice today, Lucy?" Jellal pops a question. _Oh, I was trying to avoid bringing baseball up._

"Yeah, I just woke up early this morning." I reply, trying to keep my cool, "I was taking a walk and saw you guys practicing in the park." _That, and…_

"You caught a ball right before it hit me, remember?"

"Ah hah, I thought that was you!" Jellal breaks into a laugh, "I saw a girl standing right in the way of a ball… And when I thought about it afterward, I remembered her looking kinda like you."

… _He really doesn't get self-conscious around me, does he? I wouldn't call that love. It's more like he's just getting used to me._ I start to grow worried, when…

"You're such a nice girl…" Jellal says, "For a moment there I thought I just mixed you up with another girl!"

"**!**" _W-what?! Jellal just blurted that out without even thinking about it… Now I'm feeling all awkward…_

"S-still, if you don't remember seeing someone you know close up… That just proves how focused you are."

"When I'm focused on something, I don't see anything else…" Jellal turns serious, "Especially when it comes to baseball. Nothing else registers for me."

"Wow… You must really love baseball." I thought out loud… again.

"Sure do!" Jellal beams me a cheerful grin. _He's talking normally about baseball! Maybe that means he's getting over it a little… I'll keep the conversation going._

"You looked totally cool playing out there."

"Huh? I did?" Jellal shoots me a surprised look. _Aww… he looks flattered!_

"Yeah!" I give him a smile back, "You look like such a softie most of the time, but when you're on the field, you look sharp! It was kind of thrilling getting to see you like that."

"…" _He's red as a tomato! That's adorable!_

"It was thrilling when you caught that ball for me too. Oh, and one other thing that surprised me. The sound that ball made when the catcher caught your pitches! I never knew you could hear something so loud in baseball."

"…" _Whoops… Did I go too far there?_

"… You should come and watch me again. I can make em' louder than that." Jellal has an unreadable expression on his face. Somewhat smiling and yet, looks serious at the same time…

"Even louder than what I heard there? I can barely picture that!" I exclaim happily, "You bet I'll be back!"

Jellal laughs. But he has the happy, boyish smile… Of a little boy holding back tears. I feel a twinge of sadness at the sight of it.

* * *

**_Again... With a cliffhanger... I'm such a terrible person... Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a review too! It'll be so much appreciated! Thank you so much for supporting this story! Ja Ne~! *fairy tail sign* Heheh_**


	7. Jellal - Chapter 6

**_Konnichiwa minna-san! How have you been? I'm sooo sorry for the late update. T.T Turns out a new school environment has taken a toll on me. *Sigh* Anyway, now I'm back to business for today and tomorrow (before the hell torture *cough* school *cough* starts again). In the meantime, enjoy chapter 6!_**

* * *

**~DAY 2: Kyoto~**

_It's almost time to leave the Kiyomizudera temple… So we start checking up on everybody and rounding the group up._

"Such beauty…" I could faintly hear Rogue sighs with a peaceful smile, not a big one though, adorned on his face. He sun is setting over the temple grounds, and it's so gorgeous that even Rogue has to admire it.

"That's a hell of a view." Gray is gazing at the sunset, along with the rest of us.

"Yeah." Natsu comments, his eyes still not leaving the magnificent view.

"Makes you glad we live in Japan, huh?" Levy heaves a small sigh.

"No kidding…" Erza gazes at the sunset with a peaceful expression too.

Just then, I notice something… _Hey, Jellal's gone. Where'd he go? _I look around, and…

..

.

..

_He's running full tilt up that massive set of stairs! W-why?!_

"… Don't worry; he'll catch up with us when he's done." Gray states, as if he was reading my thoughts. He must have noticed my gawked expression. "It's about time to go. C'mon, guys."

"Wait… What's he doing?" I can't get over the fact that Jellal is making a mad dash up that intensely long flight of stairs! I mean, is that normal?

"Sprinting, duh." Gray replies me in an as-a-matter-of-factly tone, "He's using the steps to tone his legs. He could be anywhere and he'd still get an urge to go train. He's a baseball nut."

"Yeah, he does that in school, too! He'll take off running totally at random!" Natsu joins in the conversation.

"Hahah! He even did running on the morning before our high school entrance exams." Gray laughs with a nostalgic expression written over his face. He has a teasing tone, but I can see him looking fondly over at Jellal. When Gray's eyes meet mine, I can see a twinkle in them.

_Jellal really loves his baseball. I hope he gets his confidence back soon… _I turn toward the temple and make one last prayer.

* * *

I'm lounging around after dinner and a nice bath, when…

"Oh hey, Lucy!" I cross paths with Jellal.

"Just got out of bath?" I smile at him.

"Yep, I could go for a nice cold drink." Jellal jogs up to a nearby vending machine and buys two sports drinks out of it. "Here you go." He hands a can to my direction.

"Oh, for me?" I am slightly off-guard by his action.

"Yep, all yours." Jellal smiles his innocent smile at me.

"Thanks." _That's so sweet! But sports drinks have an awful lot of calories… And we just ate fried food for dinner. I wouldn't want to drink right before bed. _Jellal pops open his drink can and tips it back, gulping it down. _But… he did buy it for me. It might be rude if I don't drink any. Man… What should I do?_

_._

_Hmmm…_

_._

_I'll just chug it! _"Okay, bottoms up!" I end up drinking it anyway. Jellal sits down next to the bench where I'm sitting.

"I saw you praying pretty hard at Kiyomizudera. What were you praying for?" I make a casual comment, to start off a conversation.

"Er…" He seems to flinch a bit. _It must be baseball then. He could have just made something up to tell me. But, he's so open and honest._

"Sorry, I guess that was kind of a personal question!" I say a bit too quickly, "Prayers are no one else's business, right? I'll keep my nose out of it, okay?"

Jellal looks away with a pained expression, "I was praying to be strong enough to pitch like I used to…"

_Oh, Jellal…_

"I just…" Jellal stammers, his eyes not leaving the ground, "I try so hard, but I just can't put any power into my pitches. And I know why."

…

"It was the prefectural tournament finals last year… I threw a home run in the bottom of the ninth… We lost in the very last inning, and it was all my fault." His eyebrows knit together, pain is in his eyes. "All our hard work, straight down the drain. There was a clang." Jellal balls his hand into a fist on his lap.

"Clang! That was the sound the bat made when it hit the ball I threw. The ball went flying, way out of anyone's reach… The ball I threw… It ruined the whole team's dream…"

Jellal seems so different now. I'm sitting right next to him, but he looks like he's staring off into his own inner darkness. _I can't bear to watch this any longer!_

"Jellal!" I cry out, putting a hand over Jellal's clenched fist. As if he was pulled out from his trance, Jellal looks at me, surprised. _He looks startled. What could I say? I could say his team doesn't hold it against him. But I don't know that… _

"Thanks, Lucy."

"Huh?"

"Huh… My knuckles are white. When did I start making fists that tight? I should take better care of my pitching hand…" His fist relaxes under my hand. His palm is dark red.

"Are you okay?!" I grow worried and touch his palm. When I do…

"Whoa!" _I-it's rock solid! _I jerk my hand back in surprise.

"Hahah." Jellal starts to laugh, "That surprises guys, too. I've done so much pitching… My palm's pretty much one big callus now." _Jellal laughed! That's a relief! But, wow, that hand… I can only imagine how hard he works to get it that way. _

"I'll pray to the patron gods of every temple we visit." I boldly states, "I'll say, please let Jellal get back his pitch!" I pump my fist in the air in determination. "… Hang in there, okay?" The edges of my lip curl upwards. _I hope that doesn't put even more pressure on him._ But instead, Jellal laughs.

"Thanks… I will. You know… I'll be honest with you… I've never told anyone about that last inning loss. It just kinda… slipped out. Thanks for hearing me out." Jellal flashes his infamous smile.

"…" I can feel my heart give a pound. _I'll be glad to hear him out, as long as it makes him feel better! _But I'm in such a fluster, I can't get the words out.

"I'm going on a quick run." Jellal stands up.

"What, right now? I'll go, too!" I stand up immediately after him.

"Really?!" Jellal looks at me in surprise, "… You want to run together?"

"Sure!" I reply with a smile. _I still got those calories to burn too… So, why not?_

* * *

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Our footsteps have a rhythm as we run. We enjoy a long and pleasant jog.

"If I keep running like this… Maybe I could climb those steps we went up today!" I thought out loud.

"What steps?!" Jellal seems surprised, for some reason.

"You know, the long steps up to the Kiyomizudera temple?! I was exhausted by the end of that." I breathe in and out in rhythmic motion, "Gray got worried and came to check up on me… And he helped me up!"

"… Oh yeah?" Jellal replies.

"Gray seems pretty conceited… but he's really a caring guy, huh?" I fix my eyes forward as we continue jogging.

"Gray's… a nice guy. He can do anything. He's like a fairy tale prince. And he gets lots of girls."

"I'll bet he does! He's cool, too!" I add, "He comes off like a guy with an ego… But he's good at taking charge! A prince, huh?"

"… If only I could be more like him."

"What?" _But we had that talk at Safari Park about being his own person. It didn't seem to bother him that much then._

"I ***huff*** think ***huff*** you're fine… ***huff*** being ***huff*** who you are! ***huff* *huff***"

"… You okay?!"

"I can barely breathe…" _I had a fun time running, but I'm so exhausted… My fatigue hits all at once, and I come to a stop._

***huff* *huff***

"All right, let's take a breather. Walk for a bit."

"Okay…"

"So, you don't wish I was more like Gray?" Well, that's a strange question to ask me.

"That would take away from your charm."

"What's my charm?" Jellal looks a bit… embarrassed? _Hmm, how should I answer that?_

"Your enthusiasm for baseball! The way you always train when you've got nothing better to do… It's inspiring to watch." I say out my honest thoughts.

"Yeah… That's pretty much all I'm good for." Jellal looks at the ground dejectedly, "I've never done much other than baseball…"

"I think that's charming" I stubbornly states again, "It shows how enthusiastic you can be about something."

_Oh, Jellal's stopping…? I guess I'm running his own pace by tagging along. _"I'm sorry about this. I didn't mean to slow you down by going with you…"

"Oh, you're not! This isn't training or anything…" Jellal shakes his head in denial, "In fact, I should be the one apologizing. You're out here with me… And I never even stopped to consider what kind of pace you'd want…"

"Ahahah!" I laugh it off, "It's okay. I don't expect you to worry about stuffs like that anyway."

"… You don't?"

"Nah."

"…" _Wait, is that bothering him?_ _Now there's an awkward silence… _

"You know, if you're tired…" Jellal breaks the tension, "I could take you back."

"Wait, take me back? How?"

"Um…" Jellal shifts his gaze to the side awkwardly, " I guess I could give you a piggyback ride, maybe?"

"Ahaha! That's embarrassing. I'd look like a little kid!"

"Oh… Sorry." _Huh, I thought he'd laugh with me on that one… _Neither of us speaks up again. We go back to the hotel in awkward silence.

* * *

"I'm beat after that run. I'd better sneak back to my room." I stretch my entire body upon reaching the hotel lobby. "Good night."

"Good night." Jellal replies with a casual smile. I give a smile back. As I walk off, I hear Jellal mutter something under his breath.

"Nothing at all like Ultear…"

* * *

_**SOOOOO, how was it? :3 I know... I kill all of you with a cliffhanger, AGAIN. T.T I hope y'all don't hate me for it... Also, while I was writing 'fairy tale prince' I didn't realize I wrote it as 'fairy TAIL prince' before I reread it! HAHAH! (Okay, I'm being lame ._.)Anyway, leave your thoughts on this chapter in the box below maybe? ARIGATO~! **_

_**P.S. Have you guys read the latest Fairy Tail manga? I cried in one of those chapters. T.T Anyway, Ja Ne! Please look forward to the next chapter!*fairy tail sign***_


	8. Jellal - Chapter 7

_**Konnichiwa minna-san! :3 YukimaraMegumi here! I hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far. I know... the characters are a bit OOC but please bear with me... It is meant to be like that to fit the story... Sumimasen... Anyway, I'll be doing weekly updates, which means good news for all of you! Yay! Now, enjoyyyy!**_

* * *

**Day 3 – Osaka**

_Ugh, maybe that was a dumb move… _I'm running a fever. I blame the running I did right after taking a bath last night.

"I wasn't comfortable just leaving this to a health teacher, so I asked a doctor to visit. I don't like this any more than you do, but hang in there and wait the fever out, okay?" Mr Connell's lips curl up to show a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare anybody." _Ugh… I can hardly move a muscle…_

"You're sick, can't help that." Mr Connell comforts me, "Just take it easy and get lots of rest."

"Mr Connell, I wouldn't want to leave Lucy all by herself." Erza speaks up after she seemed to be having to long thought, "Can I stay with her until she gets better?"

"Would you?" Mr Connell asks her again, arching an eyebrow at her.

"I'll be fine, Erza. You should go with the others." I give her a smile, but she just shakes her head.

"It's okay, I don't mind! I'm our group leader anyway! Don't worry about a thing, Lucy. Just rest up, okay?" Erza insists, giving a smile in return.

"I'm sorry about this…" I apologize. _I am so pathetic… _

"Hey, um…" Jellal suddenly speaks up. _Jellal?_

"What is it, Jellal? You should be out sightseeing!" Mr Connell seems as surprised as Erza and I are.

"But I took Lucy out on a run with me last night." Jellal confesses.

"What?!" Mr Connell's eyes almost drop out from their sockets.

"She'd just gotten out of the bath… And I didn't consider our pace at all…" Jellal continues.

"What were you thinking?! Girls aren't built like you are!" Mr Connell is really mad!

"Please, don't be mad!" I quickly interrupt him, "I was me that tagged along with him…"

"… If that's how it happened, I can see how you'd feel responsible." Mr Connell's facial expression softens, and looks at Jellal as if he has decided on something, "Fine! You're grounded today. Stay with Lucy!" _M-Mr Connell!_

"Yessir! Thanks a ton, Coach!" _Why are you so happy on the other hand?!_

"And no shouting! There's a sick person in here!"

"Oh, sorry." Jellal looks down apologetically.

"Lucy, if you want anything at all…" Mr Connell points his thumb at Jellal, "you can send Jellal to fetch it."

"I couldn't possibly do that!" _I can't bring myself to do so either._

"No, I'll totally do it. Ask away." Jellal insists.

"The doctor's here!" A staff says from the other side of the door.

"Oh, coming! We'll be going now." Mr Connell stands up, the others do the same. They step into the adjoining room and slide the sliding door shut.

* * *

The doctor gives me a shot, and I doze off for a while. When I wake up…

No one is in my room. _Is there anyone on the other side of door? _"Hey… Is anyone there?"

"You're up? Can I open the door?" _That's Jellal! _

"Go ahead." I reply. The door slides open, and Jellal peeks in.

"How're you holding up?"

"Pretty good, I got that shot from the doctor. I'm so sorry I dragged you into this…" I apologize again.

"Don't be silly, I'm the one responsible." Jellal protests, "I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention to you."

"It's okay." I smile at him, "Where are Erza and Mr Connell?"

"Coach Connell's asleep. He's been doing night patrols, and it's been hell on his sleep schedule. I think your cold was a blessing in disguise for him." I laugh at his comment, "Erza's gone off to get lunch. We agreed to take turns eating." Then, Jellal looks like he just remembered something.

"Oh, I should ask… Are you hungry, Lucy? I've got something that's good for digestion, if you want it."

_Come to think of it, I am kind of hungry. _"Sure, why not" I accept his offer.

"Okay, I'll be right back!"

* * *

"Hope that wasn't too long." Jellal takes a seat next to me, holding a bowl of rice porridge. "Here."

_Wait, is Jellal going to spoon-feed me?! _

_._

_._

_But I can't move around much either…_

_._

_._

… _I guess it couldn't hurt to let him. _

"…"

_Jellal's face is so close by… Oh God, my heart is pounding so hard, it's going to make my fever even worse!_

"Ack!" The rice porridge goes spilling out.

"A-are you okay? Sorry about that…" Jellal looks at me in concern.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." _He looks kind of sad now. _

"I think I might be the world's worst nurse…" He looks down dejectedly, "Oh, sorry! Let me wipe that up for you…" Jellal takes a dishtowel and wipes up the spilled porridge.

"?!" _He's getting the part on my sleeping gown too?! _

"Er, s-sorry!" Jellal quickly tosses away the dishtowel.

"Ahaha!" I let out a soft laugh.

"I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to touch you there…" _He's blushing bright red!_

"I know you didn't." I try to hold in my laughter, "I saw how far you threw it."

"… I am so bad at this." He looks sad right now…

"… I appreciate you staying with me, at least. Thank you."

"Should I get you some more?"

"You don't have to. I'm not that hungry anyway."

"You've got to eat well, or you won't get better."

"Well… okay. Could you get me some pudding and ice cream when you go out for lunch?"

"I'll get some right now!" Jellal stands up and gets ready to leave.

"You don't have to do that… I think I'll sleep a little longer." I am feeling a little drained.

"Okay, at least hold on to this." Jellal pulls out a good luck charm. "I bought it at Kiyomizudera yesterday. I prayed to it for you to get well soon, so keep it by your bed." _Oh, Jellal… _

_This is a charm from the temple where he was praying so hard yesterday… _"My fever's not that bad. I'd hate to see you waste a charm on this. Don't you have your own wishes?"

"I'd rather see you get better first. My wish is something I'd have to try for, anyway." Jellal smiles at me. _Jellal… _

"Besides… You're going to pray to a bunch of different patron deities, right?" His face seems flushed… _Nah, I think I'm just seeing things._

"Right." I chuckle in reply.

"Sorry, I know I'm keeping you up with all this talking."

"You can stay a little longer…" I mumble.

"I'm back! Oh hey, Lucy, you're up now? How's your fever?" Erza comes into the room.

"Oh, I didn't take it!" Jellal replies.

"I'll go ahead and take it, then." Erza says, "Get some lunch, Jellal."

"Sure. Take it easy, Lucy." Jellal reminds me before standing up.

"I will." With that, Jellal leaves. Erza takes my temperature, and I'm still running a mild fever. She tells me to stay in bed.

* * *

_How long did I sleep? _I wake up to the sound of two people chatting. _It's coming from the other side of the door… I guess Erza and Jellal are talking together._

"No way, really?!" Erza exclaims, "A guy like you has never gone out with a girl before? I don't believe it!"

"Oh, you don't? Why not?"

"Come on… Aren't you popular with the girls?"

"Not at all." Jellal replies, "As Gray likes to say… There's a grand total of two girls in my life."

"Yeah? Who are they?"

"An old friend from day care… And my mom." _Wow… Gray's harsh…_

"Oh my god! That's adorable!"_ Erza sounds like she's having a blast… I've never heard her voice this happy before… And Jellal was so awkward around other girls before… Though I guess I can't tell much with voices alone._

"But that's just because you're not interested in that kind of thing, right? You've gotten Valentine's Day chocolates before, haven't you?"

"Er, yeah."

"What's the most you've ever gotten?"

"Um… I'm not sure. Maybe thirty?" _Thirty?!_

"Woah, thirty! You are totally popular!" _No kidding!_

"Er… But they're all from people I don't know. Besides, Gray gets way more."

"… Why don't you ask any girls out? Is it just high standards? Ooh, do you have a celebrity crush?"

"A celebrity crush? Freed's the only celebrity I've ever met. If I don't know someone, how can I tell if I like them?"

"Mm… You're a stand-up guy, Jellal."

_Does Erza have a thing for Jellal? I'd feel awkward listening in on any more of this. Maybe I should say something._

"Okay, then what would you look for in a girl?"

_Wait… _I hesitate. I'm kind of curious to hear the answer.

"… I guess, someone smart, with a good head on her shoulders." _Wait… Isn't that a perfect description of Erza?!_

"…" It's all weighing down on me. All the trouble I'm putting others through. Jellal. And more… I start to cry before I can stop myself. _Oh God, I'm crying… Now I really can't speak up… _Suddenly, the other room goes quiet. _What's going on in there…?_

"How's Lucy holding up?" _That's Mr Connell… He came to check up on me._

"Mr Connell, could you please knock first?!" Erza exclaims, "I hear footsteps, and the next thing I knew, the door comes bursting open!" _Did they grow quiet because they heard footsteps?_

"Sorry 'bout that! Could you check to Lucy for me, Erza? I know I'm a teacher, but it'd be rude for a guy to just barge in there." I quickly bury my face in my futon. I hear the door slide open…

"Still asleep." Erza replies.

"Oh yeah! Lucy asked if she could have some ice cream. I'll go get her some."

"I'll go with you!" _ It sounds like Erza and Jellal left… _

***sniff* **"You up, Lucy?" Mr Connell steps in and peers at me. The moment our eyes meet, tears come spilling out.

"Woah! Wait, you're crying…?" Mr Connell looks shocked at me, "What's wrong, Lucy? Are you feeling sick?!"

"…" I stay silent.

"You're shaking your head… Did something happen?" He gives me a concerned look.

"It was just a bad dream…" I lie.

"Whoa, uh, hey, Erza?! Argh, she's gone!" Mr Connell looks flustered, "Oh man, there's a girl crying here, what do I do?! Argh, I didn't mean to say that out loud!" _Wow, look at that panic… _

"Haha…"

"Ah hah, there's a laugh!" _Thanks, Mr Connell. Are Erza and Jellal having a good time together?_

* * *

**_Sooo, How was it? Erza, why do you have to ruin that moment?! T.T Please leave your thoughts in the review box below, it really helps me when I read your lovely comments! Also, please check out my other stories, I hope you like them too! Until next time, JA NE~! *peace sign*_**


	9. Jellal - Chapter 8

**Day 3 – Osaka**

The doctor's injection must have worked, because I'm completely over my fever now.

"Sorry for scaring you guys. Thanks for looking after me." I smile apologetically at them.

"I'm just glad you're better!" Jellal gives me a pat on the shoulder, his mouth forming a smile.

"Yeah, that fever sure broke quick!" Erza smiles at me.

"Looks like you're fine now," Mr Connell sighs in relief, "okay, let's meet up with the others. I'm sure you guys want in on the special class" His face broke into a wide smile.

"Oh right, we had a special class scheduled for today. What's it for?" Erza questions.

"Oh, I guess they must not have told you," Mr Connell replies with a surprised tone, before chuckling to himself, "heheh… You kids will love it! You're going to the Yoshimoto Shikigeki theater!"

"WOAH! No freaking way!" Jellal's eyes sparkled with excitement. _Aww… How cute…_

* * *

We just barely make it in time for the show. We present our tickets and rush to our seats. _It looks like our seating is split by an aisle… Erza's on one side, and Jellal and I on the other._

Just then, the performers come up on stage and start acting out a slapstick routine.

"Ahahahaha!" It's totally hilarious! I barely can stop myself from laughing to my death.

"Ask me anything about bars" one of the actors' voice echoes in the hall.

"Why do Yokohama and Chunichi get all the hot foreign guys?"

"Ahahahah!"

"Ahahahahahaha!" A laughter burst beside me. _Jellal and I have been laughing at the same jokes this whole time… Are we in some kind of synch?_

* * *

Intermission time.

"Man, we were both laughing right on cue there!" Jellal wipes his tears, still laughing.

"Yeah, I noticed!" I laugh along with him. _**(A/N: From this point onwards, it's Jellal and Lucy's conversation respectively :) )**_

"It's kind of neat having the same sense of humor, huh?"

"Totally!"

"I remember where we both lost it!"

"Oh, that part with the melon bread?"

"Yeah, that's the one. You only eat the top part of your melon bread…? Ahaha!"

"Wow, you nailed that delivery! Ahahaha!" I can't stop myself from laughing, "You must be a big comedy fan, huh?"

"Well, I'm not a comedy fan or anything, but I sure like to laugh!" Jellal gasps for a breather before he speaks again, "I spent so much time working with the team, I barely watch TV. I'm so glad I got to make it to this."

_This makes sense… If he's doing morning drills on the class trip, what does that say about his regular schedule…?_

"Good thing my fever broke. If you'd missed out on a comedy show because of me… I'd never live it down." I lower my head in glum.

"Don't be silly, Lucy! I'm the reason you came down with that fever."

"All you said was that you were going out running, I'm the one that volunteered to tag along…"

"… That was really nice."

"Huh?" I look up, only to see a slightly flushed face of Jellal.

"It was really nice having you run with me. I was enjoying it so much…" Jellal fixed his gaze at me and smiles, "The thought of my pacing or my speed never crossed my mind… I guess that's a lame excuse , though."

_Jellal…_

"Well… I like running with you too." I give him a smile back. "I've never had such a good time on a run before. And… When you said you'd stay behind to look after me?" I look at him in the eye, before continuing,

"I felt guilty… but I still really appreciated it." I feel kinda bashful expressing it to him.

"I just wanted to be with you, that's all." Jellal's face broke into a gentle caring expression.

… _Wait, what?!_

"But you're all better now, so no point in guilt-tripping ourselves, right?"

"R-right!" _Oh god, I thought he meant something else… _

"Hey, Lucy! Got a moment?" Erza waves at our direction.

"Huh? Sure, what's up?"

"Come over here a sec."

"Oh, okay, see ya later Jellal." I wave at him before heading towards Erza.

"Kay."

* * *

Erza leads me over to a quiet part of the theater.

"Hey um, Lucy…" _She looks serious… I wonder what's the matter…? _"I think I have a crush on Jellal."

…_! What?! _

"I remember the first night when you said you liked Jellal," she continues, "so I felt kinda obligated to tell you. Lucy… Do you like Jellal?"

_Erza looks really dejected._

"Uh, I don't know if I'd say it's LIKE like…" I fumble over my words.

_But maybe I do… But, I can't just tell that! _I can't give her a straight answer and Erza seems to draw her own conclusion from that.

"Oh, good! That makes me feel better…" Erza smiles brightly at me, "I'd hate to have a crush on the same guy as you."

_Ugh… I was afraid to admit how I felt there…_

* * *

Once we left the theater, we have free time to spend in Osaka properly.

"I could go for some yakiniku." Jellal speaks up, "Doesn't Osaka have a ton of places that let you cook your own meat?"

"Ooh, that sounds fun!" I reply excitedly.

"Oh, we already went to a place like that for lunch." Gray flat-out rejects our idea.

"Then why don't we split up? I want some takoyaki." Erza beams.

"Sure, why not?" Gray smirks. _That puts me in a group with Erza and Jellal… And Erza just shared her crush with me. This is going to be awkward…_

* * *

"Welcome, have a seat!" a clerk ushers us to an empty seat.

"Check it out, Jellal! Look at all the takoyaki pans!"

"Ooh, this is kind of exciting." Both Jellal and Erza faces light up as they look through the menu together.

_Jellal's getting better at talking normally with Erza. He was acting nervous when they were chatting outside my room. When Erza told me how she felt… I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth. I might be better off just hiding my feelings for him… _

"We don't get many chances like this. Why don't we order a bunch of different stuff and try it all?" Erza suggests, "What would you like?"

"Hmm, I'll take the cheese kimchi takoyaki." I selected one of the selection from the specially recommended menu.

"Ooh, nice! I was thinking of getting that myself!" Jelllal exclaims, "I bet it would be great with some mustard and mayo!"

"Yeah, for sure! You can't have it without those!"

"Man… We laugh at the same jokes, and we even like the same food!" Jellal chuckles.

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting that!" I laugh along with him.

"We should totally live together!"

…

"Ahaha, I wouldn't go that far!" I reply jokingly.

"…" Erza's face has a weird expression on it.

"Do you think we could order extra cheese kimchi?" I ask her.

"Sure, if you're both eating it… I can't really eat the spicy stuffs though."

"Oh, right. Sorry! Maybe we should get something we call all eat." I look through the menu again.

"Don't worry, I eat a lot anyway." Jellal replies with a smile.

"Yeah, just eat what you want. We can order our own stuff. With Jellal here, we can get away with ordering as much as we want." Erza's face relaxes into a gentle expression.

"Yup, you can count on me!" Jellal grins childishly. They serve us up a heap of raw takoyaki.

"Let's see who can cook theirs the best!" Jellal brings up a challenge.

"Sure, bring it on!" Erza's eyes gleam with excitement. We all cook our takoyaki.

"Aw, man. I can't get mine even at all!" Jellal looks so distressed.

"Just turn it again and it'll be fine. See?" Erza pokes Jellal's takoyaki and evens it out.

"… You're super good at this, Erza! You could be a chef!"

"Ooh, you think so?"

"Yeah, this is great!"

_I think mine's even sloppier than Jellal's was… _

"Man, what're you doing over there, Lucy? You suck at this!" Jellal laughs.

"Ahaha, you're not kidding! Let me help you with that." Erza helps me out. _Though, I could have done a little better if we were cooking it separately. Jellal must think I'm an idiot… _

"I've never done this before, okay…?" I came up with an excuse, to hide my embarrassment.

"Sure." Jellal gives me a reassuring smile. "It doesn't matter how shabby it looks as long as it tastes good!" Then he pops my lumpy takoyaki into his mouth.

"Ohhh! That's hot!"

"You okay?! You'll burn your tongue like that! Take it out!" I panick, seeing Jellal trying desperately to cool his mouth.

"No way! Ow!" Jellal ignores my warning and swallows to down instead. "Awmph… I think I can taste it now… It's good."

"Don't worry, Lucy. It was crazy good!" _Jellal… _

"Hey, you're supposed to wait for the waiter to add the seasoning!" Erza giggles.

"Y-yeah!"

"Oh yeah… Hahaha!" Jellal laughs along with her.

_Did Jellal eat that to make me feel better? How sweet of him… Ugh, why didn't I just tell Erza I liked him? _

"Excuse me, I need some more water!" Erza calls out to a waiter nearby, "Did you burn your tongue there, Jellal? You should drink some water to cool it off."

"Oh, that's why you asked them to bring more? Thanks." _Erza's so smart about this stuff! Jellal did mention that he wanted a girl with a good head on her shoulders… And the more I think of it… _

_The less I fit that description._

"-ucy? Lucy!" Jellal's voice brings me back to reality.

"… Oh sorry. Got a little distracted there. Ahaha…" I give a nervous chuckle.

"Here, try the takoyaki I cooked!" Jellal brings his takoyaki to my face. _He wants to feed me his own takoyaki? _

_But Erza's watching… _

_Sorry, Erza. _

"Pwretty pwease?" I say in a cutesy way as I take it in my hand.

"Want to try mine, Jellal? Say ahh." Erza cuts in.

"Oh, thanks!"

"…" _Jellal ate that straight out of Erza's hand… _Who am I kidding? I've hardly got room to complain… But I subconsciously look down, feeling dejected.

* * *

_**... "Ahahaha, so much for weekly updates" ._. Sumimasen... I left all of you hanging at Chapter 7... *cries* Anyway, to make it up for it, I'm uploading 2 chapters today and I WON'T GIVE ANY MORE EMPTY PROMISES T.T Thank you so much for supporting this story, I'm really thankful to have such wonderful readers like you T.T**_


	10. Jellal - Chapter 9

**Day 3 – Osaka**

"This is the aquarium, our last stop in Osaka. They have two whale sharks in here! I know you're excited, but don't go nuts!" Mr Connell looks really excited.

"I'm pretty sure you're the going nuts, Alzack." Levy states.

"Huh?! Wait…" Mr Connell looks at her with a perplexed look on his face, "Since when did I become Alzack? Natsu, you're being a bad influence!"

"I think you're the one being a bad influence on Levy, Alzack!" Natsu laughs it off like it's a normal thing.

"Huh?!"

"You'll show me around the aquarium will you? Will you?" Levy is hoping very energetically.

"Ahaha, all right. Looks like I'm with you!" Mr Connell gives in, "It's refreshing how nice girls can be. All the boys ever do is take pot shots at me!" _Mr Connell, that's not because she's a girl! It's because she's got a thing for you! Oh god, he doesn't notice at all… And I bet Levy thinks that's adorable. Someone please save my best friend for this…_

"But Gajeel is coming with us. He got lost from his group so he's stuck with me for the moment."

"Huh, why do I have to go with you and the shrimp?" Gajeel glares at Mr Connell and Levy. Mr Connell, however, seems to be not affected by his menacing behavior.

"S-shrimp?! Just who are you calling 'shrimp', you no brain metal face!"

"HEY! I aced myself in the previous tests. At least I don't stick my face onto a book whenever we have free time."

"SAY WHAT?!"

I sweatdrop at their bickering before heaving a light sigh. _Huh? I can feel someone look at me._

"…" _Jellal just made eye contact with me._

"Hey Jellal, want to walk around together?" Erza drags Jellal off.

* * *

"Sigh…" I'm looking idly around the aquarium when…

_Hey, there's a rare sight!_

" …" Freed is alone for once, staring at a fish tank._ He probably must not have any filming going on… Ooh, look at that!_

I see a strange sight. Freed touches a finger to the tank, and the fish swim over towards him!

"Wow… Is that telepathy?" I subconsciously thought out loud.

"Oh, hey Lucy." Freed notices my presence.

"I saw how the animals all came up to you at the Safari Park too. That's amazing. You don't have your idol vibe at all right now… But the fish still recognize you, huh?" I gaze at the tiny clownfish that is swimming towards us.

"My… idol vibe?" Freed looks at me in an odd way.

"Oh, maybe that was the wrong way to put it. It's like, um, you have a normal face and a work face." I try to find the right words, "When you don't need your idol vibe, you kinda turn it off so that nobody notices you."

"Hahah, Jellal tells me that, too." Freed laughs nostalgically.

"Jellal does the same thing when he's playing baseball. He's got that game face." I thought back to that morning when I saw Jellal training with his team.

"Yeah, huh?" Freed replies with a soft smile. Some sardine swim up in front of Freed. Their scales gleam in the light. It almost looks like they're putting on a show. _That's beautiful… _

"Wow, look at the pretty fish in that tank! They look awesome-… Wait, is that Freed Justine?!"

"Woah, it is!" _Uh-oh, some visitors are onto us!_

"…" Freed takes off before it turns into a scene.

"Teen idols sure have a rough life."

"Rouge!" _Woah, when did he get here?!_

"Were you watching the sardines? They were doing some kind of routine. It was so pretty to watch! You like nice scenery, right?" I start a conversation, "You always stop to take in the sights. Like with the postcards, or Kiyomizudera."

"Not really. I don't watch things for a sense of romance. Sometimes, people get different things out of the same scene." He actually replies me. "In this case, I'm more interested in the acrylic glass the aquarium uses."

"Acrylic glass?" I tilt my head in confusion.

"This one aquarium… uses 1.5 times the world annual production of acrylic glass." He explains to me with a soft expression carved on his face. It made my heart stop for a moment.

"Really…? Wow, Rouge. You know everything, huh?"

"You're blowing it out of proportion." His stoic expression returns, "I just know what I know, that's all."

"… Not that I particularly mind." He continues, giving me a suggestive look, "But don't you have better people to talk to?"

"Hmm?" I look away from the sardines and at him. I follow Rouge's look, and I spot Jellal. Jellal is eagerly looking at the fish tanks. And Erza is hot on his heels.

"… Ahaha, he seems pretty busy to me with Erza. I wouldn't want to disturb them having fun, you know?"

"Hmm…" Rouge just looks back and forth from them to me and says nothing more.

* * *

I can't stand the sight of it. I briskly turn and head further into the aquarium. I stop at a souvenir shop.

_Ugh, I could see whale sharks, penguins, all kinds of cool stuff… But I'd be seeing it all by myself… It's hard to get excited about that._

As I browse through the shop… _Ooh, what an adorable dolphin! _

The sight of a happy looking dolphin keychain makes me feel better. _Its face reminds me of Jellal… _

_I'll get one!_

"Oh, hey Lucy!"

_Huh? Jellal?!_

"Who were you with?!" Jellal asks me with a gentle smile on his face, "I couldn't find you at all in there. I was afraid you'd gotten sick again or something. _He was worried about me? How sweet…_

"I didn't get sick. Just… you just happened to miss me. I love aquariums, you know. I got so absorbed looking at everything." I give him a smile. _Well, I couldn't say that I saw him but I chose to ignore and go somewhere else now, can I?_

"Oh, okay then." Jellal smiles with relief.

"Hey, you picked out the same keychain as me!" Jellal suddenly exclaims.

"I did?!" I look at the keychain in his hands and back to mine. _Whoa, he's right! Jellal's got the same dolphin keychain! _"Wow, what a coincidence! We really do have matching tastes." I laugh.

"Totally! This is so cool. Even Gray and I don't have that much in common!" I just happen to buy the exact same keychain as Jellal did. _I hope Erza won't get mad at me. But what am I supposed to do? It's not like we're trying to do that on purpose…_

* * *

"We've still got time before we have to go. Want to ride that with me, Lucy?!" Jellal points at the Tempozan Ferris Wheel.

_I wish I could. But I wouldn't want Erza to see us together, and I know she would._

"It looks like it could go a while." I try to come up with a reasonable excuse, "Do you think we'll be able to make it back in time?"

"If it looks like it'll take too long, we can just call it off. C'mon, let's do it!" Jellal tags me along.

"… You know, these cars have a lot of room. Are you sure you don't want to invite more people?"

"Oh!" Jellal exclaims as if he realizes something, "You don't like being alone with me?" His face looks a little dejected as he asks.

"That's not what I said!" I replies before I thought through what I was saying.

"Then let's make it just the two of us." Jellal gives me that smile which made my heart palpitate wildly.

"… Okay." Finally, I cave in to his desire.

* * *

"Man, I just love that feeling of excitement when the car starts to rise!" Jellal cheers when the wheel started to move for a while. "Ferris wheels are so cool!"

_He looks like a kid in a candy store. It's so cute!_

"Gray used to ride them with me. But these days he doesn't like going on them with me. _I can see it being awkward for brothers to ride Ferris wheels together. _

"Yeah, I bet he'd feel weird doing it." I reply, imagine Gray and Jellal sitting alone in a car, riding a Ferris wheel.

"He does! He's all like, what kind of grown man rides a Ferris wheel with his family?!" Jellal chuckles as if he was reminiscing a memory with Gray, "Personally, I like it no matter who I ride it with."

"Ahaha, I know what you mean."

"Ooh, look, Lucy! You can see Akashi Straits from here! Hey, isn't that Kansai Airport with those lights?"

_It's so nice being alone together in here. I wish I could stay on this Ferris wheel forever… _"What a beautiful view, huh?" I sigh as I look out the glass window, admiring the scenery below us.

"Yeah, for sure!" Jellal beams. _What an innocent smile. And the scenery is so breathtaking… It's so pretty, the way it blends with the blue sky… _

"-Umm…"

"What is it?" I look at Jellal.

"… Oh, uh, nothing major." He shrugs off the subject, "I was just admiring the view, I guess."

"It really is nice outside!" I give a smile as I continue to admire the wonderful view.

"Not there!… I mean in here. You."

_What…?!_

"I, uh, I mean you look pretty." His face bathed with a pink hue. "I'd like to be closer to you…"

_Jellal… _All the blood seems to rush to my face.

"Oh, man… I bet I'm really embarrassing you right now! Sorry!" He bows apologetically.

"No, not at all! It's okay!"

"I…" Jellal trails off.

"I guess I must be a weird guy."

"Huh?" I look at him in confusion.

"I must be." He looks down, sadly, "I mean, people always call me dork, or a baseball nut… And they're right… My whole life up to this point has revolved around baseball. If that's what everyone thinks…" He looks back up at me,

"It must be because I don't put enough thought into the things they think about."

"Where did this come from?" I speak up.

"Oh, uh…" His expression grows very awkward and sheepish, "I guess… it just hit me…" And I'm already too embarrassed to study him. But it's not hard to imagine the bright red blush on Jellal's face. I feel a twinge. I can't bring myself to look straight at him. _God… Why didn't I tell Erza how I felt?_

* * *

**_Okayyy, so how was it? :3 I really hope you enjoy reading my fanfics! :D You can check out my other fanfics in my profile, there's one on NatsuxUltear, a bit of a twist but I hope you like it too! If you have any request, feel free to PM me your requests! Anyway, stay tune to the next chapter. It'll most probably out next week so until then~! Arigato for supporting My Class Trip Crush and Ja Ne~!_**


	11. Jellal - Chapter 10

**_HI MINNA~ It's been so long since I've last updated this story HAHAH, sorry for the wait. And now, the chapter 10 that you have been waiting for is here! BANZAI! By the way, I just realized that I've been spelling Rogue's name wrongly HAHA. Anyways, thanks for all those supportive reviews and here's chapter 10 of "My Class Trip Crush"!_**

* * *

**Day 4: Islands**

After leaving Osaka, we hop on a ferry to a remote island. The vast blue sea spread to the horizon.

_But first, I need to tell Erza how I feel… towards Jellal. _

But it's easier said than done. It's hard for me to come out and say it, and somehow, I can never seem to find the right time to bring it up. It's no different today, in a cabin on the ferry.

_Erza's sitting next to Jellal, and she hasn't gotten up once… Furthermore, I bet it'll break the moment they are having if I talk to her now. Ugh… what do I do?_

"Sigh…" A sigh escape my lips as I turn back and walk out of the cabin, dejected. At this rate, I'm never going to be able to tell Erza. Just then, I feel a sharp poke on my shoulder.

"Hold on, Lucy! What's the big idea?!" I turn around and am face-to-face with Erza.

"Erza? What's wrong?!" Surprised at her sudden outburst, I question her. _She's got a scary look in her eyes too…_

"Mind telling me why does you and Jellal have the same keychain?" Erza points out my keychain attached onto my phone.

_Oh crap, the dolphin keychain I bought at the aquarium yesterday! I should have known better, Erza's sharp at picking on things like that… _

"Oh… Um… It just worked out that way…" Feeling intimidated by Erza's tension, I could only murmur a short excuse.

"Really now? Jellal just told me that he was with you when you bought it. And then, you went on the Ferris Wheel ride together huh? Why didn't you say anything?" Erza looks at me for an answer. I just keep quiet, unable to utter a word. At my actions, Erza looks hurt.

"I can't believe you. You know exactly how I feel too." Her fists clench into balls as she averts her eyes away from me.

"E-Erza, I'm sorry, um… I know I should ha-"

"Forget it…" Erza turn around and with her back facing me, she says, "If you're doing your own thing, then so will I. See you around." With that, Erza storms off.

_Ugh… This is getting worse by the minute… And it's my entire fault. It's all because I wasn't being honest with her…_

* * *

When I step into the cabin, Jellal is the first person I see. Erza is next to him, of course.

"Sigh…"

"Hey Lu-chan. Turn that frown upside-down!" Levy chirps cheerfully at me.

"… Levy-chan." I give her a smile. Suddenly, Levy's expression turns grim.

"So… Erza's giving off some super bad vibes right now. You know anything about that?" As expected of Levy, she knows when something is wrong…

"… It's kind of complicated…" I trail off, hoping that she would drop the subject.

"I can connect the dots." Levy persists on knowing what happened, "Erza likes to approach things head-on in a straight line. She hates it when it's crooked. You and I of all people should know that best."

_Is Levy-chan holding it against me too?_

"But hey, who knows what's right or wrong? All's fair in love and war, right?" Levy pats lightly on my shoulders. I guess that's her way of comforting people. I just stay silent as she continues to talk,

"Just remember, Erza sees herself as the one in the right. After all, she's a model student." Levy casually jokes, making me laugh a bit.

"… And that's part of her charm too." She continues with a knowing smile.

"Yeah… I know." The corner of my lips curls up into a small smile. Although, we may be in a complicated situation as of now, I still love Erza as a best friend.

"I'm sure it won't be easy being rivals and all… Just remember. You and Erza are both my best friends! I can't pick a side there, okay?" Levy smiles brightly.

_Levy-chan… _"Thanks Levy-chan." I give my blue-hair best friend a hug. Levy just giggles at my gesture.

"Still…" She glances towards Erza, "She's pretty fired up over this. And you don't win games by standing on the sideline! Keep your head in the game, Lu-chan!" Her encouragement warms my heart.

"Aww… Thanks a bunch, Levy-chan."

_Levy's right. I can't just sit around, hoping things would get better… Alright! Maybe, I could join them._

"… Erza?" Surprised by my voice, she looks away sharply. _If I force my way into their group right now, it'll be unpleasant for Jellal… _So as of now, I give up on talking to Erza and head out to the deck, again.

* * *

"Sigh…" How many times have I sigh today? _Man… Lucy, you're stupid! If only you told her earlier, none of this would be happening! Now, you made Erza and yourself awkward! Stupid, stupid._

"SIGHH…" As I look out at the waves, sighing to myself… I feel someone poking me, again.

_Ow… What now?_ I turn around and was startled to see a familiar person with that boyish smile on his features.

"There you are!" Jellal beams at me, "I couldn't find you inside. I looked around the whole cabin but you weren't there."

_That's because I'm trying to avoid talking to Erza, who was with you. But I can't say it out loud now, can I?_ I sweatdrop before realizing that he was looking for me…?

"It's nice out on deck, huh?" Jellal stretches his arms and looks out to the sea with a refreshing smile.

"Yeah…" I try to sound chirpy but it failed. _And if Erza sees us like this, she'll get worked up and upset again…_

"You could have Erza join you." What am I saying?!

"Huh? Why?!" Jellal looks genuinely surprised.

"Well… You looked like you were having fun talking with her…" Woah woah, STOP LUCY! Just. Stop. Talking. Say you have to use the ladies and walk away. NOW.

"Yeah, I was. Ever since we talked together while you were sick." **_(A/N: JELLALL! THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY TO A GIRLL! Oh my heavens… I can feel your heart breaking, Lucy…)_**

There was a sudden pang in my heart when I hear those words. Jellal, unknown of what I am feeling, continues,

"She's starting to talk to me a lot. She really looks out for others, huh?" Jellal chuckles slightly, "I mean, she's the group leader, and I'm a dork… So I guess she's trying to be nice to me."

Now I feel bad for Erza…

"I don't think that's what she's doing though." I swipe my side bangs behind my ear, trying to look casual on contrary of my pounding heart.

" Hahahah. It never dawned on me before… But this whole class trip, it's really hit me." Jellal says with his signature smile.

"What has?" My heart is racing. _Is this how girls feel? What love is like? Is this how the female protagonists feel in a love novel?_

"You've seen the way Levy sticks to my coach like glue, right?"

"Y-yeah." _She sure does! She's got a huge crush on Mr Connell! Although, it would be better if I know whether is she really affectionate toward Mr Connell…? _

"But just between you and me," Jellal whispers as he scoots closer, "You remember that guy who went with Levy and Coach yesterday?" I nod, if I'm not wrong, his name is Gajeel Redfox.

"Yeah, as I was saying… Gajeel actually secretly admires Levy."

"EHH!" Jellal covers my mouth with his hand, giving me a sheepish grin.

"I know right? I was pretty shocked myself when I found out. But, don't worry. Gajeel's a nice guy once you get to know him better." Jellal laughs wholeheartedly.

_But I'm surprised. I didn't think Jellal was interested in romance. Is he finally starting to open his eyes?!_

"Coach Connell always looks after me. Usually. But now that Levy's taking up more of his time, I guess it made me realize… With the way everybody calls me goofy and stuff, I guess I'm the kind of guy people have to look after. I need to get it together. Erza shouldn't feel obligated to keep me company forever."

_Jellal… I think you're the only person who would think that…_I sweatdrop.

"I mean, just because she's the group head, that isn't right." Jellal nods to himself as he finishes his words.

_But oh my, just how much of a nice guy are you, Jellal? The thought hasn't even crossed his mind… That Erza and I are gushing over him. And true enough, I don't want him to know. He's just too sweet…_

"Still, I really don't think that's what Erza's trying to do. I'm pretty sure…" I have to choose my words carefully, "She just wants to be friends with you." Considering the circumstances, if I say that Erza likes him, that would mean I'm confessing for her, and Erza won't like it one bit.

"Aw, thanks Lucy." He looks flattered.

"Honestly, I'm not saying this to make you feel better!" I add on, just in case he thinks I'm just flattering him.

"I feel so relaxed when I'm around you…"

"Huh?" My eyes widen upon hearing Jellal's words.

"You know… I can count the number of girls I've talked to on one hand, bu-"

"Yeah, before you went on this class trip." I interrupt him, intending to tease him a little bit, to lighten up the mood. "It was just your mom and Ultear right?"

"Yeah! And even then, the ones I'm adding on this trip and the ones in my own group." Jellal holds up his hand, showing the numbers.

"Hahah…" I giggle at his cute gesture. _He looks like a kid doing that though… Hahahah._

"But… You're different, Lucy."

"…" I was speechless. His face was tinted pink as he continues to talk,

"It's totally relaxing being around you, but…" He averts his eyes away shyly onto the ground, "Sometimes, it's exciting too. And it's nice… either way."

"Well… I like hanging out with you too, Jellal." Words just slip out of my mouth. _Ack! I can't believe I said that! Whatever happened to escaping into the ladies room?!_

I picture Erza's face and feel bad for a moment, but… Jellal's elated smile sends away any regret I'm feeling right out the window.

"Really?! I'm so glad to hear it! I have a totally great time when I'm with you!" Jellal beams at me.

_Yeah… I'm definitely sure of it now…_

_I love Jellal! That's it. I need to come clean about this to Erza. She can get mad at me and hate me all she wants…_

"It feels like it's been so long for me…" Jellal's voice interrupts my train of thoughts, "Since I've really truly enjoyed something."

"Has it?" I ask, in attempt to hide my palpitating heart and my burning face at my mental confession,.

"… I can't pitch right." Jellal's face suddenly looks crestfallen, "That thought is always sitting there in the back of my mind. It really killed my motivation for other stuff."

Jellal looks out to the sea with a forlorn look in his eyes, "I mean, sure, I can enjoy a meal or a nice conversation with someone… And I do." This time, he looks straight into my eyes,

"But even then, deep down, I'm still the guy who can't throw a pitch."

"Well... I'm not an expert on this stuff but…" I think through the words I'm going to say before continuing, "It's not healthy to punish yourself, you know?" I smile at him with my thumbs up.

"Hahah. Thanks." Jellal laughs, "I think when you talk, you can reach me in a way that others can't."

"Thinking back, a lot of people have told me to stop punishing myself." Jellal looks up the vast blue sky, reminiscing, "My coach, my teammates, Gray… I couldn't figure out how to get it out of my mind. But here on this class trip, talking with you…"

Jellal looks away from the sky and smiles at me, "For that one brief moment, I forgot about it. I was just thinking about how much fun I was having."

_Jellal… _

"I know it sounds weird, but… I think it's helped me realize how much I was punishing myself. I can't say anything for sure but, I think… maybe I can pitch again. And, even if I can't… At least, I can talk about it now." Jellal gives me a resolute smile. Smiling back, I reply,

"I know you can do it."

"Thanks." Jellal's eyes soften as we smile at each other.

* * *

When we reach the island, there isn't a hotel or any other building in sight.

"Our goal in coming here…" Mr Connell's voice booms, catching everyone's attention, "It is to bring out the natural instincts that you kids never learn in modern cities!"

"I'm not feelin' this. You soundin' like some shady nature seminar guy." Gray's remark receives a number of stifled laughter from the students.

"There's nothing shady about it!" Mr Connell tries to defend himself from Gray's comment, "The idea is to camp out and be as self-sufficient as you can! Fish your own fish, pitch your own tents, and cook your own rice with camping utensils! A real man is one who can live off the land and feed himself during a depression."

"It's a school activity and I'm still joining in, but…" Rogue states as-a-matter-of-factly with a blank expression on his face, "It's kind of a huge logical leap to go from a depression to living of the land, don't you think?"

"Err…" Mr Connell tries to find a reasonable comeback but he can't think of one.

"Hey Alzack!" Levy jumps excited, trying to catch Mr Connell's attention, "I could totally go for a man of nature!"

"So, shrimp likes guys like Tarzan, huh?" Gajeel casually commented.

"Firstly, I see no wrong in liking Tarzan. And next, watch your mouth, iron rod!" Levy's face contorts with annoyance as she bickers with Gajeel. _Nice one Gajeel! You got Levy's attention away from Mr Connell! May the odds be in your favor._

"Well, guess I've had a chance to live off the land and the city social life at the same time!" Gray nods in agreement, "What the hell, I'm in!"

"This sounds totally fun!" Jellal chirps in the conversation.

"I'll be counting on you, sports team guys!" Natsu joins in as he slung his arms on the two brothers' shoulders. Amidst this cheery atmosphere, I realize something.

_I still haven't resolved anything with Erza yet… I don't know if this camping thing is going to work out…_

* * *

**_I hope you guys liked it! ^-^ It's gonna be a bumpy ride for Lucy from here onwards! GABATTE!_**


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